


Taking Time

by zeraporter



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Career, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexuality, Break Up, Depression, Eventual Smut, Family Issues, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Frustration, Idiots in Love, Infatuation, Love/Hate, M/M, Marriage, Mental Anguish, Naruto is Bi, Naruto is Just Naruto, POV Alternating, Pining, Sasuke is Bi, Sasuke is a workaholic, Slow Burn, possible other ships included
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27834559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeraporter/pseuds/zeraporter
Summary: After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 132
Kudos: 173





	1. Marriage

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!!!!! I'm so excited to post this because I've been thinking about it for awhile. It's a little different from my other SasuNaru fic, that's more Canon. I wanted to try AU and see where it leads me. I also wanted to test out a Break-Up/Make-Up fic, so here we go! Hopefully this catches some of your attention and you'll stick with me as I go forward. Also, I love suggestions and what no, so if there's something you want to see, let me know! 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Naruto sat on the black leather seats of his fiancé’s, Sasuke Uchiha’s, BMW M3. He glanced out the window, watching as the lights from their city sped by and faded away into the darkness of the night. Naruto was all buttoned up, dressed for the elegant evening ahead; One that revolved, almost exclusively, around Sasuke and his corporation’s Winter Gala. It was a celebration of their company’s success’s throughout the year and this past year had been a major one for growth. And yes, while Naruto wasn’t much for dressing to the nines and talking about real estate, his appearance there was imperative since he was practically family. 

Him and Sasuke had been together since their final year in college, now both of them pushing 30. Naruto looked down at the engagement ring on his finger. It was larger than he’d expected, packed with diamonds, which only demonstrated, on a physical level, the type of family he was marrying into. It wasn’t his style to boast about wealth, but Sasuke wasn’t afraid to show other’s who he was and how he could spend his money. In fact, Sasuke focused a lot on appearance, more so than Naruto. But that only made sense. Sasuke’s brother, Itachi Uchiha, had made the Forbes’s 30 Under 30 List by the time he was 27, which immediately put Sasuke in the spotlight. Sasuke had adapted quickly and grew as one of the top agents in the company, soon enough partnering alongside his brother to run the entire operation. It was impressive to say the least. Naruto was proud of how much Sasuke had grown and excelled in his work, even if it had put their relationship through tougher times.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, who was focused on driving. As his gaze lingered on the smooth feature’s of the Uchiha’s face, he felt a warm hand grip his thigh. Naruto glanced down to see a comforting touch from Sasuke. Naruto sighed into it. Relationships aren’t easy, especially theirs, but he wasn’t feeling uneasy; Sure, they’d been engaged for over three years by now and the magic behind the engagement had long faded away… Yet, Naruto knew that once Sasuke could take a moment to focus on them again, they’d be able to move forward with the marriage. He just needed to keep sticking it out. 

As they pulled into the garage and parked the BMW, Sasuke looked over, more directly at Naruto. Naruto let Sasuke fix his tie, while Naruto pushed down some of the Uchiha’s rare fly away’s in his always stylized hair. 

They sat for a moment, just looking at each other.

“Did you forget the speech?” Naruto asked. “You look nervous for some reason.”

“No. Just taking a moment before I’m nonstop talking for the next—“ Sasuke looked down at his Rolex, “—three or so hours.”

Naruto nodded. “I can understand that.”

Sasuke smiled, putting his keys in his pocket, and tapping it to make sure his wallet was there as well. 

“You look nice.” Sasuke smiled.

“You picked out the suit.” Naruto chimed. “And bought it.”

“Well, pat me on the back then because it was money well spent.” 

“I think you’ll have enough people doing that to you throughout the night. Not sure you’ll need me to do it as well.” Naruto chuckled to himself. It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy complimenting his lover, but his statement was also true. Sasuke would be floating on his company’s triumphs and individual employee’s or investors’ praise. He didn’t need Naruto’s added words.

“There’s truth to that.” Sasuke said as he opened the door to the car and slid out, slamming it behind him.

Naruto followed suit.

* * *

The elevator opened to a large, grandiose lobby. There were floor to ceiling windows, laced with red velvet curtains, overlooking their condensed city. Naruto couldn’t help but look out to see if he could spot his beloved book store in the distance. However, from the 20th floor of the Uchiha Estates high rise, it was nearly impossible. Naruto’s book store would look like an ant in comparison.

“Hey.” Sasuke called out to him, beckoning Naruto to follow him into the dining hall. Sasuke opened the doors revealing how the Gala was in full swing. People were dressed in their finest linen’s: Men wore jackets with coat tails, women wore floor length gowns. It was an occasion above the rest.

Immediately, photos were being snapped of Sasuke. Naruto knew the drill too. First, Sasuke would get a few photos taken of him, alone. Then, Itachi would join in to show the strong brotherhood that dominated the luxury real estate market in Japan. Last, Naruto would hop in to lessen the overwhelming presence the two men had together and lighten up the mood. 

As the press and photographers dissipated, both Sasuke and Naruto were handed flutes of champagne by Itachi. 

“You’re later than normal, Sasuke.” Itachi smirked at his brother, before turning his attention to Naruto. “And you’re looking better than ever, Naruto.” 

“And you’re still trying to get in my pants, aren’t you, Itachi?” Naruto teased at him before Sasuke coughed to warn them to change the subject. 

“I’m obviously kidding, Sasuke. Hey, waiter, you got anything harder than champagne?” Naruto waved over at a waiter, still messing with Sasuke, which, the older brother seemed to appreciate more than the younger one. “This guy needs to loosen up.”

“Naruto—“ Sasuke threatened him with his eyes, before Itachi cut him off.

“Feeling nervous?” Itachi asked, as calm as the ocean.

Sasuke’s attention returned to Itachi as he took a light swig of his champagne. “Hardly.”

“Good. Well, I’ve already started the rounds, but I suggest we hit the few groups that I’ve greeted anyway, so we can properly welcome them to our function. Yamanaka Group is at table 1 and they were very interested in getting to know you, specifically, younger brother. It seems the heir to the company is quite fond of you…” Itachi trailed off as he led Sasuke away from Naruto. 

Naruto sighed and looked around. Now he just needed to figure out what to do for the next three hours by himself. With Sasuke and Itachi busy running the Gala, it would be hard for either of them to entertain Naruto with meaningless conversation. For the past few years, Naruto had begun to frequent more and more of these types of events and gala’s, purely because him and Sasuke had gotten more serious and also he enjoyed meeting new people and seeing what their interests outside of business were. It helped him understand the world of the rich. His book store’s main audience was younger, so, people with less income to spend. He wanted to find a way to grow his business though, just like Sasuke was doing so well. He needed to cater outside of his regular customer. If he could get rich people to buy from him, he might be able to achieve something not even his guardian and mentor could achieve. 

* * *

Two hours had passed and Naruto found out that rich people—this year at least—read a lot of self-help/self-transformation books as well as foreign political exposé’s and celebrity cook books (which he didn’t think was actually reading, but the tip was helpful nonetheless). Naruto was seated beside Itachi at their respective table. They’d finished dinner and now the Gala was wrapping up for the evening. Itachi had made the opening speech, while Sasuke was set to make the closing one. All eyes were focused on where Sasuke was standing, behind the podium that fronted the Uchiha Estates crest. Naruto could tell that Sasuke was a bit nervous, even though he’d said otherwise earlier. It was the first time Sasuke was making a speech that announced the company’s plan for the future. And it was exceedingly more important than Itachi’s opening speech, because, to close out strong, Sasuke needed to capture the attention of current and future investor’s and/or company heads, encouraging them to partner, merge, or collaborate with them for the next year or so. Naruto could feel his palms sweat a little as he watched Sasuke fidget under the spotlight. 

“Thank you all for being here tonight. It’s been an immense pleasure having such highly esteemed companies and individual’s here to share in the constant success of Uchiha Estates. My brother, Itachi, and the collective staff here at our company offer you our deepest gratitude.”

There was a light applause that Naruto joined in before Sasuke continued. As Sasuke looked out into the crowd of people, Naruto glanced around. The world was enamored by him—which he couldn’t blame them, look at him! Even a quick glance towards Itachi confirmed how proud and impressed the world was by the younger Uchiha. Sasuke continued talking with poise and elegance; He’d stepped into his role with flawless convinction. Naruto couldn’t tell if people wanted to _be_ Sasuke or be _with_ him. But again, he couldn’t blame those people—look at him! He radiated perfection. Naruto had always feared he’d never measure up to the Uchiha name, but Sasuke—at least earlier on in their relationship—had cast those thoughts aside and supported Naruto’s journey fully. It was something Naruto clung onto for dear life. Their relationship wasn’t like that anymore. They still loved each other, supported each other, encouraged each other, but they were barely with each other. Naruto didn’t even remember the last time the two of them discussed something other than work. Perhaps that was what marriage was… Perhaps that’s why people had kids… So they could focus their mind elsewhere and just…

Naruto sighed, looking back up at Sasuke smiling as he finished his speech. Unfortunately, Naruto had tuned out and missed the final words, but it wasn’t like they were directed at him anyway. 

As Sasuke left the stage, people resumed their conversations and started to leave. The last hour of the evening was for drinking and continuing conversing, other than that, the hard work was done. Sasuke found his way back to the table. He’d barely touched his food—another sign that he’d been nervous—but started shoving his face upon his return. 

“How was it?” Sasuke asked, wide-eyed.

“How was what?” Naruto asked.

“The speech.” Sasuke said, waiting.

Naruto smiled his widest grin and gave Sasuke a thumbs up. “It was awesome!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and returned to eating. “You didn’t listen.”

“I did—“ Naruto retorted, sighing back in his chair. Of course, the one time he didn’t listen, Sasuke asks him about it. 

“Sasuke.” Itachi eyed his younger brother, who quickly swallowed his food and greeted the couple behind him, standing up to engage in their conversation better. Soon enough, more people joined in to chat with the Uchiha. Naruto pulled out his phone to check the time. With this many people lingering about, he was unsure when they’d get home. 

“Bored?” Itachi asked, taking a sip of his champagne. 

“My job ended here a few hours ago.” Naruto chuckled.

“Oh?” Itachi smiled.

“I know you guys only invite me for the press photos. It’s not like I’m needed for intellectual purposes.” Naruto’s sarcastic nature always entertained Itachi. At times, Naruto felt more drawn to the older brother than the younger. Itachi had lived a rough life. He’d dealt with the loss of his parents from a young age and—in order to support Sasuke—worked in the family company right after middle school. He quickly worked his way up in the business hierarchy, until he became who he was today. On the other hand, Sasuke was too young to remember his parents’ death, so he never dealt with the total grief like Itachi. And with Itachi’s protective nature, Sasuke was provided for beyond belief. He didn’t even have to work his way up in the Uchiha company. After graduating college—something Itachi pushed him to do—he was welcomed as a top-selling agent. Sasuke was… lucky. 

“I like having you here, Naruto. You tend to brighten up whatever room you walk into.” Itachi said in the deep voice that was so confident it could cause an earthquake. Naruto couldn’t help the slight blush that creeped across his cheeks hearing Itachi’s words. A lot of people saw Itachi as cold, but—in all actuallity—he was more loving and warm than Sasuke. Itachi had an outer layer that was all business, but his openness and parental nature made him someone you just wanted to be near. Naruto shied away a bit, finishing off the rest of his champagne. 

“More?” Itachi asked, as he grabbed two more champagne flutes from a waiter who was walking by them. Naruto nodded, accepting the glass.

“So, tell me then…” Itachi leaned forward. “You guys _are_ still planning on having a formal wedding, are you not?” 

Naruto gulped, almost chocking on the champagne lodged in his throat. “Oh, what? Of—of course, Itachi! Hasn’t Sasuke told you?” Naruto felt like he’d just been sat in a room with a spotlight on him. He was about to be interrogated. Naruto found it hard to avoid emotion when talking with Itachi and Sasuke. The two of them, being so void of emotional emphasis in their voices, caused Naruto to overreact. He knew Itachi would ask him about it as well. He was much easier to break than Sasuke.

“He hasn’t actually. Would you mind filling me in?” Itachi asked, clear as day. Naruto’s eyes darted over to Sasuke, who was still in a heated conversation about god-knows-what. It looked like this was all him.

Naruto looked back at Itachi, who was patiently waiting, lightly tapping his glass. Naruto sighed.

“We’re supposed to have one—a formal wedding or whatever—but we haven’t planned anything. Still.” Naruto practically mumbled. He didn’t need Sasuke to hear what they were talking about. Itachi’s eyes blinked a few times, before he set his champagne flute down to lean back in his chair. He looked deep in thought and Naruto didn’t want to disturb him by trying to change the subject. It wasn’t like petty conversational tactics like that worked on the Uchiha’s anyway.

“I’m sure that comes at no surprise though.” Naruto added on.

“I see. So, nothing has changed from… Last year or the year before, for instance?” Itachi asked.

“Nope.” Naruto downed the rest of the champagne, just in time for Itachi to hand him yet another glass. “You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you, Itachi?”

Itachi smirked. “I know your limits, don’t worry.”

“At least one of us does.” Naruto said, playfully, as he took another sip. It was nice talking with someone he knew. For the last few hours, he was talking with uppity men and women who had a vocabulary from—what it seemed—another dictionary. He found it hard to join in on conversations, the main reason being that it didn’t interest him. Thankfully, being able to talk with Itachi, even if it was about him and Sasuke, gave him some purpose.

“I’ll talk with Sasuke.” Itachi said, bringing Naruto back to reality.

“Huh? What? No. You can’t.” Naruto stated, furiously shaking his head. “You can’t—cause he’ll shut off and who know’s when he’ll—he doesn’t need that extra pressure. I’m fine, you know! I can wait. It’s cool. Plus he’s like… top of his game right now!” Naruto spit out in a quick little word vomit. While it was true that Itachi shouldn’t talk to Sasuke about it, it wasn’t true that Naruto was fine. He desperately wanted to marry Sasuke and he knew the raven felt the same about him. It was just taking longer than it should. Over the last year, it made Naruto question certain things concerning their relationship. It also made certain things that Naruto wanted have to take the back seat. He’d desperately wanted to expand his business, but decided against it in fear that, if he did take that step, he’d never have time with Sasuke. He’d ended up settling in his career position because he didn’t want to force Sasuke to… The truth of it all was… Naruto wasn’t particularly happy in his career or his relationship. He felt like he truly had _settled_. 

“Naruto?” Itachi leaned forward again to regain the blonde’s attention.

“What?” Naruto asked, cluelessly. 

Itachi smiled. It really was comforting. “I’ll leave Sasuke to you. But you should talk with him. He’s bound to be receptive.”

“I know he’ll listen and whatnot, but I’m not sure it will change anything. I’ve tried to bring it up multiple times, but he’s always pushed it off.” Naruto explained, the alcohol hitting him a bit more now. 

“There’s no harm in trying again. You’re already engaged. It’s not like you should fear him leaving you for bringing it up one more time.” Naruto looked at Itachi with unwavering eyes. He didn’t fear the younger Uchiha leaving him. He never did. And he knew Itachi felt the same way, but… Sasuke had proposed. Sasuke had pushed for them to be engaged because he wanted it. But now, with how many times Naruto had attempted to move forward in planning something concrete, he was pushed aside almost constantly. He didn’t want to think that Sasuke might leave him, but there he was running out of reasons as to why Sasuke was so shut down about everything. 

Naruto knew he’d become obsessed with work. He was living under his brother’s shadow, which wasn’t easy. Itachi was a force of nature and had made a name for himself. Sasuke’s name was always present alongside Itachi’s, not solo. Sasuke’s name was only talked about because of who Itachi was and what he’d built. How could Sasuke beat that without taking over the company or starting his own?

“Itachi…” Naruto mumbled, looking over at the older Uchiha. 

“Hm?” Itachi asked.

Naruto froze for a moment, just looking at Itachi. The two brother’s held themselves differently and Naruto had been around them both long enough to categorize their differences. While Sasuke was mysterious, Itachi was reserved. While Sasuke was assertive, Itachi was confident. While Sasuke was intellectual, Itachi was wise. There were these small differences that emotionally lured Naruto in separate ways. He’d grown with Sasuke and his attraction to the man was chemical as well as emotional, but there was something about Itachi that was like forbidden fruit.

“Nothing.” Naruto stopped his wild thoughts and looked away, afraid that Itachi was reading him too well.

“Naruto—Are you ready?” Sasuke entered back into the conversation, standing firmly behind Naruto, looking over at Itachi. Naruto nodded.

“Itachi, I just realized that Haruno Enterprises was absent.” Sasuke said as Naruto stood up, finishing off his champagne. “Didn’t they RSVP?”

Itachi smiled, leaning back. “They did. However, their PR Rep reached out to let us know they’d be unable to attend. They’re offering us a chance to meet with them next week, granted our schedules aren’t too busy.” Naruto lifted his head and caught Itachi’s brief glance.

Sasuke almost immediately responded though. “I can go, alone. I’d like to lock them down by the New Year.” 

“We’ll see how you feel after the weekend and settle it on Monday.” Itachi concluded. “Good night, Naruto. Sasuke.”

The blonde and the raven smiled, giving Itachi a parting wave before heading out of the Gala and back into the Uchiha’s luxurious BMW.

* * *

The majority of the ride was silent. Naruto always found himself quiet after these types of events. He’d never felt like he’d belonged there, even if he looked the part. He knew they were important to Sasuke though and never wanted to disregard that. Sasuke was working hard and he needed to be acknowledged. Naruto wondered if he felt that way after tonight.

“It went well.” Naruto said, still looking out the window. He could sense Sasuke’s gaze momentarily, before returning to the road.

“Yeah.” He said.

“Make any new friends?” Naruto asked, dryly. He wasn’t making fun of the Uchiha, just… adding some humor in to end a night of serious business. 

“Very funny.” Sasuke said.

“So, is that a yes?” Naruto pulled his head off of the window to look over at Sasuke, who wasn’t smiling. He seemed to be focused—lost in thought—or overthinking the night in general.

“What were you and Itachi talking about?” Sasuke asked after a minute of silence. Naruto’s teasing nature soon evaporated in the tension filled air as he tried to brush off the comment.

“Nothing.” Naruto responded, hoping Sasuke wouldn’t pry.

“It didn’t look like nothing.” Sasuke said, as they turned into their apartment complex. The place they lived was nearby Sasuke’s work and quite a distance away from Naruto’s. Thankfully, public transportation around the city was good and he didn’t need to spend unnecessary funds on a car. It was a sleek building, fit for someone like an Uchiha. Naruto tended to default to Sasuke when it came to decorating or apartment hunting. Naruto had never been good at that and Sasuke tended to take pride in his talents when it came to those areas of expertise. 

“It was nothing, Sasuke. I was just chatting with your brother.” Naruto responded, praying Sasuke would just _drop it._

“My brother always has some motive when conversing with anyone.” Sasuke’s comment just made Naruto roll his eyes.

“Yeah, maybe with other people—or you—but not me.” Naruto said as Sasuke pulled into their parking space, turning off the car.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sasuke said, bitterly.

Naruto turned to look at him, furrowing his brows. Why was Sasuke acting so callous?

“Why are you acting so weird, Sasuke? I was chatting with your brother—of all people!”

“Why are you not telling me what the two of you were talking about?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Just tell me—damn it!”

Naruto widened his eyes, not really looking for a fight, but also not really willing to give up if provoked. And Sasuke was doing some major provoking.

“It’s none of your business!” Naruto barked back. The overall heat in the car rose by a significant amount as the two stared each other down. “We were just having a fucking conversation. That’s it. Stop being so paranoid.” Naruto got out of the car and headed to the elevator. Soon after, he heard Sasuke get out of the vehicle to follow him, locking the car behind him. The two of them stepped inside the elevator, both with arms crossed.

“Didn’t you have a good night?” Naruto asked, trying to push aside his anger.

Sasuke looked forward, not saying anything. Naruto sighed and, as the elevator doors opened, followed Sasuke to their apartment. 

* * *

Naruto shut the door behind them. Both of them paused to take off their shoes and hang up their jackets before proceeding into the living room. Sasuke was about to head straight for the bedroom, but Naruto stopped him by grabbing his arm.

“Hey. Why are you upset?” Naruto asked. “You said the night went well.”

Sasuke just looked at him, bathing in the silence. Naruto knew that when he got angry, he tended to bottle himself up, waiting for that opportune moment to explode. It was one of the man’s faults.

Naruto looked down and just chuckled to himself, releasing Sasuke’s arm.

“Fine. We were talking about the wedding we’re supposed to be having one day. Happy?” Naruto turned away and plopped down, defeated, onto the couch. He didn’t want to have this conversation tonight, but it seemed—with Sasuke’s persistence—he’d have to. 

Naruto refrained from looking at Sasuke. He was unsure if the man was even still in the room.

“I told you—“ Sasuke started, but was cut off.

“I didn’t bring it up, Sasuke! And I told him everything you’ve been saying, so, no worries there.” Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was looking away, fidgeting with his watch. “Of course—I’m not going to lie—it’s rather frustrating to have to inform Itachi of this _time and time again._ ”

Sasuke was still silent, which ticked Naruto off even more. He sat up on the couch, glaring at the Uchiha.

“Do you even want to get married still?” That snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts.

“Of course I do.”

“Then why have we been engaged for over three years? That’s a little ridiculous, don’t you think?” Naruto said, incredulously.

“You know why.” Sasuke bit back.

“Right. So, you can do whatever is necessary to outshine your brother because, god forbid, you do whatever is necessary to make us happy. Or maybe it would just make me happy, since you don’t seem to think this engagement is worth any time devotion.” Naruto blurted out his comment with such indifference that he didn’t feel like lingering around to hear Sasuke’s response. “Whatever, Sasuke. I’m tired.” He lifted himself from the couch and walked past Sasuke into the bedroom.

As he shut the door, he waited. He could hear Sasuke’s feet move away from the door, most likely to the couch. Naruto balled his fist against his side and tried to control his breathing. He didn’t want to argue with Sasuke and he didn’t want to go to sleep mad, but he couldn’t understand how Sasuke didn’t understand where he was coming from… He spent years with the Uchiha and he knew the importance of his career, as well as his family issues… He was a determined individual, but that determination often clouded his perception of other things in his life; Namely, Naruto. 

* * *

Naruto slipped underneath the covers wearing a loose fitted tee shirt and boxer briefs. He’d gotten ready for bed in silence. Sasuke hadn’t come into the bedroom to apologize or anything… Being the stubborn man he was, Naruto couldn’t blame him. The blonde cut off their conversation as well, not even giving his partner a chance to respond. 

Naruto sighed, closing his eyes, the moonlight streaming through the window the only source of light. The two men had arguments like this more than he’d liked to admit. It had gotten to a point where Naruto felt tired all the time and didn’t want to put effort into them. He used to fight nonstop with Sasuke when they’d disagreed, but now, it felt pointless. All of those long standing arguments never gotten him anywhere new. Naruto was just riding Sasuke’s coat tails, and Sasuke subconsciously expected him to—which is what hurt.

Naruto had been laying in bed for what seemed to be at least an hour, when he heard the bedroom door open. Without opening his eyes, he could sense Sasuke head to his side of the bed, dragging off the covers so he could delicately slide underneath them. Naruto felt Sasuke slink closer to Naruto, wrapping an arm around the blonde’s abdomen, nuzzling his nose into his neck. Naruto flinched a little, letting Sasuke know he was awake.

In his most sleep-filled voice, “It tickled…”

The tension in Sasuke’s muscles relaxed a bit as he sunk in closer to Naruto. “Sorry…”

Naruto didn’t respond, but just let the night carry him and his lingering thoughts away.


	2. Careers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys. I am writing these chapters fast. I'm so inspired by this story that I just have to get it all out. So you might be in luck with how often the chapters will keep coming! I'm so excited by everything being written. I hope you love it all. Again, let me know in the comments if you're liking where this is going or not. 
> 
> ENJOY!

The weekend was quite uneventful. Naruto found himself catching up on some of his many guilty pleasures. Those being: Japan Ninja Warrior, his two online web comics (one romance and one action), and, lastly, stalking one of his favorite author’s on social media. He’d basically found comfort in their large living room, while Sasuke stuck it out in the office area. They had a two bedroom apartment, and Sasuke said an office was more necessary than a guest bedroom, which Naruto didn’t argue. The two rarely had familial visitors, Sasuke’s parents having passed away and his brother living in the city, and Naruto’s mentor/guardian traveling the world on book tours or pleasure cruises—he could never be quite sure. And so, an office it became. Since Naruto’s job didn’t require intense office space, the room became Sasuke’s den. Naruto knew that when Sasuke had to work—which tended to be more often than not—he could find the raven cooped up inside. This weekend was no different that the other. Naruto wasn’t even sure he’d seen Sasuke except for the few times he was making food. Sure, they’d slept in the same bed every night, but there were times when Naruto was asleep before Sasuke joined him and then woke up after the man had left. He tried not to let it get to him too much.

Naruto left the apartment Monday morning a few minutes earlier than normal, so he could make his traditional stop at the coffee shop across the street. It was a reserve coffee bar called _Alchemist Coffee_ , which heavily emphasized their global coffee network. Each week, he’d get a different flavored coffee and live vicariously through the aroma, imagining he was in the location the coffee bean had come from. 

And so, each Monday, he bought his dear employee’s their favorite caffeinated beverage, alongside with his own. He used to do it just for Shikamaru, who was his Bookstore Manager, but as they hired Temari, their Website Developer, and then Sai, their Art Collector and Seller, and, finally, Kiba, their Customer Service/PR Rep, he knew he had to spread the coffee love. 

Naruto walked into Alchemist Coffee and headed straight up to the counter. He smiled at the barista, who was familiar with Naruto’s Monday orders.

“Morning.” Naruto smiled.

“Good morning, Naruto. How’ve you been?” The younger girl said.

“Never been better.” Naruto grinned even wider, giving off that his statement was truthful.

“Glad to hear it.” The girl pulled out a small paper, handing it to him. “This is our newest weekly roast. It’s a blonde—so more acidity, but it packs a sweet punch as well—from the Yunnan Province in China. Lots of strong honey notes with a smooth after taste.” Naruto looked at the girl, always impressed with her ability to sell him any type of coffee.

“Sounds perfect. I’ll get a medium of that, just a little milk to top it off. And then add on the other four beverages.” Naruto pulled out his wallet as the girl rung him up. 

“Awesome, 17 bucks even.” Naruto handed her his card and looked around the coffee shop. He loved seeing the intellectuals focused on newspaper crosswords or the latest breaking reports. Everyone was in their own world and had their own story they were living. Each person could be the main character in a novel. It was truly fascinating.

“Here you go!” The girl handed him the tray of drinks and Naruto picked them up and headed out, ready to start the day.

Since Naruto had inherited the bookstore from his mentor, Jiraiya, he’d made some serious improvements, drawing a lot of attention, not only for his regular book lovers, but, also, social media influencers, artists, and tourists. Every year, his book store hit some “Hidden Gems in Konoha” list. He felt proud of himself and his team for how they seemingly took this small hole-in-the-wall bookstore and converted it into a thrilling, must-see experience. 

Naruto walked up the front door, smiling. Jiraiya tended to be a wildcard character, but he always knew how to draw the eye. _Talk Wordy To Me_ was Naruto’s home away from home. Since Jiraiya had basically adopted him, he’d spent hours on end in the bookstore, reading everything from teenage mysteries to Jiraiya’s unpublished, research articles about the karma sutra. While Jiraiya ran the store, it was only a book store. However, when Naruto took over, he expanded it to include extravagant and interactive book set ups, where people could walk through a tunnel of books or enter a forbidden vault of horror novels. They also added another floor in the lofted space where individual artists and vendor could sell artwork. They even added a small used record spot near the check out area, that had headphones and lounge chairs, so people could listen to new music and read, or just chill out. The entire area became a haven for like-minded people who just enjoyed the quality of life, be it in reality or between the pages of a book.

Naruto opened the door, the lights already on in the place, and saw Shikamaru sitting at the front desk. He placed the drinks on the counter, taking his seat near Shikamaru and powering on his laptop. He then handed his friend his beverage.

“One almond milk flat white. Here you go.” 

Shikamaru accepted it. “What are you gonna do if I ever go caffeine free?”

Naruto let out a small laugh. “As if, Nara.” 

Kiba walked around the corner alongside Temari, who grabbed their beverage.

“Thanks, Naruto.” Temari cheers’ed him. 

Kiba grabbed his beverage and took a quick sip, burning his tongue. “Ah, shit!” 

“The drink isn’t going anywhere, Kiba. You can take your time.” Shikamaru poked at the messy haired, guy. 

“I’m hoping this espresso cures my hangover.” Kiba muttered in response to Shikamaru.

“What’d _you_ get into last night?” Naruto asked, sipping his coffee.

“Ah, you know—“ Kiba brushed it off with a smile.

“Getting lucky on a Sunday?” Temari nudged him, causing Kiba jump away from her.

“Maybe, what’s it to you?” Kiba barked back, attempting to drink his coffee again.

By then, Sai walked in carrying a few large canvases. 

“Look at least I’m not late.” Kiba called out, pointing at the pale individual walking through the door.

Naruto got up to help him with the canvases. “What’s all this?” The canvases were wrapped in linen’s and paper to protect them from outside damage. There were three, all of which were almost as tall as Naruto himself.

Sai, out of breath, leaning against the counter, said, “You’ll never believe it. Do you know the Hyuuga’s? Or have you heard of them?” Naruto shrugged, but he seemed to be the only one confused. He looked behind him at Shikamaru’s wide eyes. 

“Yeah, of course.” Temari chimed.

“You mean those snobby elite’s who are always in every fucking magazine all the fucking time?” Kiba scoffed.

“I must be missing something.” Naruto’s brows furrowed. “Who are they exactly?”

“Didn’t I just tell you?” Kiba said, playfully shoving Naruto’s shoulder back. 

“They’re basically the wealthiest family in Konoha. They come from a long line of leadership and mayoral positions—basically building the city into the condensed metropolis it is today.” Shikamaru said, matter-of-factly, his eyes still wide from the mention of the name.

“Right.” Sai said. “Well, I was fortunate enough this past weekend to be invited to an art show curated by the Hyuuga family.”

“How’d you score that invite? Aren’t you like—no offense—a bum?” Kiba asked, utterly shocked by Sai’s reveal.

Everyone looked at Kiba in disbelief. “Does he look like a bum?” Temari asked. Then everyone looked at Sai. He was wearing a shirt with holes in it, tight pants and suspenders that hung down, out of use. Naruto shrugged. “Actually—“

“Can you guys let the man finish!” Temari shrieked, causing Shikamaru to chuckle, which was a rarity. “Please, Sai.” Temari gestured for him to continue on.

“Thank you, Temari. Anyway… At this art show, the eldest daughter of the main Hyuuga family was showcasing her work. I happened upon it, fell in love with it—she’s a phenomenal watercolorist—and told her about what we do here and that I’d be interested in showing her work at our location as well as her family’s curated establishment.”

Sai took a breath. “When I told her about us, she gave me these works for free. They weren’t even in the art show. So, we scored big here. She’s even giving us some decent commission if we manage to sell them.” 

Sai looked over at his coffee and pointed. “Is that mine?” Naruto nodded and handed it to him, watching as he took a sip. 

“Well, that’s great, Sai. I’m excited to see—“ The blonde started, but…

Sai held up his hand to Naruto. “Wait, I’m not done. Hinata Hyuuga—that’s the one who gave me these paintings—is a huge advocate in supporting small businesses that approach their industries in an innovative and creative way. So, when I explained to her how much Talk Wordy To Me has grown here in Konoha in such a short amount of time, she asked if we’d ever thought of expanding outside of this city.”

The room was silent. Naruto had never thought too much about expanding _outside_ of the city. While he wanted to continue growing his business, he didn’t really know what that next step was supposed to be. On top of that, opening their business elsewhere would require money, which is something they didn’t have a shit ton of on a regular basis. 

“Expand how?” Shikamaru popped the necessary question.

“It’s something we’d have to discuss. Granted, what we have here is amazing. Perhaps we wouldn’t open a copycat store, but something that adds onto what our business is… Something we could capitalize from and attracts a new set of people… Right now, in Konoha, we’re a book/art store. Maybe—if we opened something in Tokyo, for instance—we make it a coffee shop/bar that focuses on rare first edition novels and has more formal author signing and book readings? Something different, you know?” Sai trailed off, awaiting the opinions of others.

Naruto looked at Sai, slightly in shock, but slightly excited. He didn’t know there were wealthy people that gave a shit about small, indie business’s like his own. Maybe he was just conversing with the wrong wealthy people. If they could expand, maybe Naruto wouldn’t feel like he was settling in his career anymore. He’d be able to build his brand and business into something people wanted to be a part of and see more of. 

“I like it.” Naruto said, causing all eyes onto him. He could see Sai break into a small smile at the blonde’s approval. Naruto turned around to face Kiba, Temari, and Shikamaru. “Let’s see how these paintings fare and maybe—Kiba—we could reach out to Hinata, was it?” Sai nodded. “Hinata then and set up a date. We can give her a tour and pitch some ideas to her.”

“So, you wanna try and expand then, Naruto?” Shikamaru asked, seriously. His friend and business partner always grounded him. Whenever Naruto got excited he could forego intellectual reasoning and thought. He tended to follow his heart, but thankfully, Shikamaru had brains and helped make logical decisions. Naruto could tell Shikamaru was game for the expansion, but he could also tell, through his beady eyes, that this was a serious commitment and it wouldn’t be easy. It was a risk, but possible. 

“Let’s try.” Naruto said with a bright and blinding smile. His coworkers couldn’t help but smile along with him.

* * *

Sasuke sat at his desk, his eyes straining from having been looking at a computer screen nonstop for the past 36 hours. He had the come down from the Gala—which consisted of him returning calls and emails that encouraged continued support in the company—and then he, now, had major preparations for meeting with Haruno Enterprises the following week. It had been decided and Itachi thought he was ready to take this important career step. He was hoping to get this merger down without Itachi’s help from now on. It would be his first major accomplishment as a partner in Uchiha Estates. He couldn’t fuck it up.

He looked over at the clock on his hard, metal desk. 

_4:30 pm_

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a second. He’d been so swamped with work over the weekend that he’d barely had time to sleep, eat, relax, even talk to Naruto… His face went from relaxed to tensed. He knew the Gala had put the two of them in a weird place temporarily, especially with their conversation after. Naruto had become less and less confrontational as their relationship went on, which he couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing. That night, his arguing had been refreshing, but also a tad bit annoying. Naruto knew what the circumstances regarding his career were—there was no time to waste. Every opportunity that presented itself, Sasuke needed to grab it. He wanted to provide, but also be successful in his own right. He deserved that. Of course, Naruto did too, but Sasuke’s job was insanely more demanding than the blonde’s. Both of them knew that. Sasuke’s life was planned since he was a kid and he’d told Naruto how he was expected to live. Naruto had accepted it fully and pushed him find his success. 

Sasuke looked at the clock again.

_4:34 pm_

Sasuke scowled. Even his internal monologue barely passed the time. Sasuke pulled out his phone and browsed a bit, taking it off the Do Not Disturb he usually kept it on during his busier days. Suddenly, he received a few texts from Naruto, which was unexpected.

_(Naruto) Sasuke, what time will you be home tonight?_

That text was sent hours ago. Quickly, Sasuke typed out his reply.

_(Sasuke) Sorry just got this. I’m probably gonna leave here soon. Should I pick us up some food?_

Food always worked with Naruto. He didn’t know if the blonde had been staring at his phone all day, waiting for a response, but if he had and something was urgent, this tended to lessen the blow.

_(Naruto) Don’t worry. Ate out with the staff for a late lunch. What time will you be home then?_

Sasuke felt the curtness through the message. Sasuke appreciated people who tended to just get to the point, so he couldn’t blame Naruto for doing just that. Sasuke responded.

_(Sasuke) I’ll be home within the hour._

Sasuke was expecting a response, but it didn’t come. He looked at the time again.

_4:45 pm_

Well, since he was a partner in the company, there was no harm in leaving a bit early. He could still do work from home if need be. He’d been working throughout the weekend as well, so if anyone had an objections, they could just shove it. 

Sasuke started packing up his briefcase and shutting down his computer and work station, when he head two soft taps on the office door. In walked Itachi. 

“Heading out so soon?” Itachi mused.

“The day’s over, Itachi. Plus, I’ve been working all weekend and I feel a migraine coming on. Cut me some slack, for once.” Sasuke bit back, still packing up his briefcase.

“I booked you a flight—business class—to and from Tokyo. You’re expected to fly out Wednesday, 6 AM and your return is Friday, 9 AM.” Itachi said, holding out a printed piece of paper with the itinerary on it.

“You couldn’t have emailed me this?” Sasuke said, accepting the paper.

“I did.” Itachi smiled, but Sasuke rolled his eyes as he shoved the paper away into his briefcase. He stood up straight, grabbing his jacket that was fitted on the back of his desk chair. 

“Anything else?” Sasuke asked.

“You seem to be in a hurry.” Itachi pressed. His body was blocking the only exit to the office and Sasuke didn’t want to push past him.

“Or it’s just the end of the work day and I’m trying to go home.” Sasuke countered, getting impatient with his older brothers antics. 

“True. Well then…” Itachi started to move out of the way and so Sasuke stepped forward. “A word of advice for your upcoming meeting…” Sasuke turned his head to look at his brother. “You’ll be meeting with Sakura Haruno. She’s set to take over for the current president of the company by next year. So, forget everything I told you about the current president and focus on Sakura. She’s a lot more charming and flirtatious than the current president, however, she tends to be—how can i put this—a bit of a hard ass when it comes to making good deals. I wouldn’t underestimate her.” Itachi’s eyes were serious, but at the same time Sasuke could tell he enjoyed scaring the younger Uchiha. Adding a level of threat into that performance could send Sasuke spiraling, but he wasn’t going to fear his brother’s warnings anymore. He wanted to secure this merger without the help of his brother and he planned on doing just that.

Sasuke just nodded to Itachi and pushed past him out the door. He could feel the brother’s gaze lingering on him all the way till he entered into the elevator.

* * *

Sasuke opened up the apartment door to find Naruto sitting on the couch in his loose fitted tee shirt and sweat pants. Naruto always made casual look so good. Sasuke wondered if he pulled off casual well, part of him was telling him he didn’t. 

Naruto looked over and gave him a brief smile before shutting off the TV. Sasuke had stopped at one of his favorite restaurants to pick something up before heading to the apartment. He’d barely eaten that day and his hunger was eating him alive.

“Welcome home.” Naruto said, standing up and stretching a bit. Sasuke’s eyes followed where Naruto’s shirt lifted slightly to reveal his abdomen. He didn’t let his gaze linger long enough that Naruto would catch him though. Even though the two of them touched each other enough, it wasn’t the same as _touching_ each other. He didn’t even remember the last time they’d—

“What’d you get?” Naruto asked, walking over to the kitchen area as Sasuke pulled out his veggie fried rice. “Smells good.” Naruto said, leaning in. Sasuke pulled out his chopsticks, breaking them apart and digging in. He leaned against the counter, while Naruto leaned against the one opposite.

“Maybe I would’ve gotten you one of your own if you’d said you were hungry.” Sasuke teased, which caused Naruto to smile. However, the blonde looked away immediately after as if going over something in his head. Sasuke studied him.

“Something up?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto tilted his head back up and let out a sigh that turned into a smile. “Actually, kind of, yeah.” Well, Naruto was smiling, so that was good news. 

“What is it?” Sasuke asked, genuinely interested. 

“I’ve got a meeting with a Hyuuga.” Naruto said and Sasuke choked on his fried rice. He spun around, coughing into the sink, forcing Naruto to come up behind him and brace him. “Whoa, you good?” Naruto asked, laughing a bit.

Sasuke glared at him as he recovered, shrugging Naruto’s assistance off of him. He drank some water and then composed himself again.

“Why do you have a meeting with a Hyuuga? They’re a political giant.” Sasuke said, not trying to challenge Naruto’s words, but just wanting to get some information.

Naruto shrugged. “I guess they like me or something.” 

“Be serious for once.” Sasuke huffed back.

Naruto surrendered, hands up in the air. “Yes, sir.” He smiled. “Don’t think too hard about it, but we might open another store in—maybe like—Tokyo or something.” Naruto had a tough time hiding the excitement in his voice. He practically had tears pooling at the edges of his eyes to control his feelings.

Sasuke, however, was stoic in nature and even at this—albeit confusing—news, he maintained his composure. 

“Open up another bookstore? Are you trying to franchise or something?” Sasuke, yet again, couldn’t help how the words left his mouth. It wasn’t to belittle Naruto’s idea’s, just to get information.

“I mean—“ Naruto rubbed the back of his head. “We only set up the meeting with Hinata today, so I don’t exactly know what we’d be doing, but maybe it will be something like what you said.” He finished off, a cheeky, yet uneasy smile spreading across his face. Sasuke took it in and countered.

“I thought your store was doing well as is.” He said.

Naruto opened his eyes to look at Sasuke, lowering his hand to his side. “It is, but there’s always more that we could do.” 

“It’s a bookstore though…” Sasuke kept eating. “Don’t you think your little gem of a store would lose it’s eclectic nature if it’s turned into some conglomerate?” 

Naruto shook his head. “I don’t want to make it a conglomerate.”

“That’s what happens when you franchise.” Sasuke said, finishing off his rice dish and throwing it in the trash.

“Well, then we won’t franchise.” Naruto said in response, facing him as he walked away.

“Then whats the point of opening another store?” Naruto growled in frustration at Sasuke’s response.

“Look, Sasuke, it’s an idea that has been thrown out, but there’s been no concrete shit behind it yet. Opening up another store doesn’t change how cool the store is. It just opens up another avenue to share it with the world, you know?” Sasuke could tell Naruto was trying to hold in his temper and he didn’t want to press any further. So, he poured himself a glass of wine.

“Want one?” He offered to Naruto, who just shook his head and walked back out to the living room.

Sasuke took a sip of the red he poured and waiting a moment before following Naruto out into the living room. Naruto was sitting in the middle of the couch, making some sort of statement to Sasuke: Don’t sit next to me. That’s what it read like. And so, Sasuke sat in the chair that was idle next to the couch and leaned back. He tried to change the subject.

“What were you watching?” He could hear Naruto scoff.

“So, you have nothing to say to my news?” The blonde responded, either hurt or offended, possibly both. 

“I did respond. I gave you my thoughts—which are valid.” Sasuke said, taking another sip of wine.

“Okay, yes. You gave me your thoughts, but aren’t you like excited about it at all? It’s a huge opportunity for me as a business owner.” Naruto was almost pleading with Sasuke through his blue eyes, begging him to just say the right thing. Sasuke didn’t know what the right thing was… Didn’t Naruto want someone who challenged him in his thoughts? When you’re challenged, you think of all outcomes and possibilities, which end up helping up the end product. When making riskier decisions—like this one—it only made sense to do what Sasuke was doing to Naruto. Even if the Uzumaki couldn’t see it right now, he’d realize it soon enough.

“It is exciting that someone saw potential in you and your business like that, yes.” Sasuke said, truthfully, shooting Naruto a short-lived smile. 

“Thank you.” Naruto said, leaning back.

“But it might be risky financially if you don’t have a solid plan to make the spending less than the profits.” Sasuke said. “I am happy for you though.” He tacked it on quickly, to avoid any more anger from Naruto. 

Naruto looked at Sasuke, silently, and shrugged. He could feel… disappointment? That’s what was radiating off of him and through his eyes. Sasuke didn’t see disappointment as an emotion aimed at him often. Sasuke didn’t disappoint ever. Not in his appearance, or his career ethics, his judgments, any of it. It was an emotion unknown to him. Sure, he’d been plenty disappointed in others—Naruto being one of them at times. But someone disappointed in him? Hardly. 

Sasuke didn’t want to linger on it though. Naruto would make the right decision, he knew that. If he had Shikamaru to help guide him… Right… There was nothing to worry about. Even if whatever the Hyuuga’s offered was out of this world, they’d still need to turn a profit in the long run to make the expansion worth it. He had no doubt in Naruto’s abilities to attract people, but the whole thing didn’t seem like a good business move. He was depending on Shikamaru to guide him in the right direction. 

Sasuke watched as Naruto leaned forward to grab the TV remote.

“Did you want to watch something, or…” Naruto asked, flipping the TV on and moving through the channels, slowly.

Sasuke’s eyes didn’t leave Naruto though. He could tell the blonde was upset, but he didn’t think it made sense. If he was in Naruto’s position, this is exactly the type of information he’d need to really think through the decision he’d need make. He was honestly helping him. But, for some reason, he was second guessing himself. However, something sparked in his head that he felt could fix things.

“When do you think we should start planning the wedding more concretely?” Sasuke asked, eyes still glued to Naruto. 

Immediately, Naruto placed the remote down and slowly panned his head so that his blue’s met the dark abyss of Sasuke’s. It looked as if he was speechless for a moment. Out of happiness, shock, confusion? Sasuke didn’t know.

“What?” Naruto muttered in a controlled voice.

“I was thinking about what you said after the Gala all weekend and, you’re right, it is ridiculous to be engaged this long. So, when do you want to start planning things?” He knew that adding planning a wedding to his plate at a time like this would be stressful and he’d have to figure out a schedule to make it work that didn’t involve him sleeping in his office, but he knew that moving forward with actually planning the marriage would make Naruto happy. He’d said so himself the other night. Sasuke waited for Naruto to uncontrollably smile and word vomit his happiness.

“You want to start planning, right? Let’s do it. I can make it work.” Sasuke cushioned his suggestion a bit. He wanted Naruto to be happy. He knew these past few months had been rough with his busier schedule and stress levels, but… He wanted to move into the next stage of their relationship. He was ready. He knew Naruto was as well.

“Why are you bringing this up now?” Naruto asked, still through a controlled voice. It made it hard for Sasuke to read his emotional state.

“Just cause I thought you wanted to start moving forward with the wedding. You did, right?” Sasuke asked, confusion tainting his voice.

“Of course… I still do, but I just told you about a possible business venture that could take up a lot of my time…” Naruto explained. “It kind of feels like you’re bringing up the wedding as some subtle ultimatum.” 

Sasuke’s eyes widened. What the hell was Naruto talking about? 

“What are you talking about? We’re both home, we talked about your possible career opportunity already. I just changed the subject to something else.” Sasuke couldn’t help adding some edge to his words as they left his mouth.

“You were pretty clear about when we’d be planning the wedding, Sasuke. Now you’re bringing it up when I’ve clearly been offered something that might make me—I dunno—busier? More successful?” Naruto edged back.

“So because you’re going to take a risky business move, you can’t help plan the wedding?” 

“With both of our schedules, it would be near damn impossible, don’t you think?” Naruto’s emotion was trickling out tenfold. Sasuke could see his eyes straining to not blink. 

“I’m willing to put in the work.” Sasuke said, but Naruto laughed him off.

“Oh, yeah. _Now_ you are. _Now_ when I might not be just abiding by your life anymore. Does this fuck up your very detailed plan in life, Sasuke? Does me finding some new career venture fuck everything up for you?” Naruto asked, leaning forward as if to challenge the Uchiha.

“I don’t know why you’re getting so upset. I’m trying to marry you, idiot.” Sasuke said.

“Stop calling me an idiot, Christ.” Naruto fell back. “It was cute in college, but we’re adults now.”

“Didn’t know it bothered you so much.” Sasuke said, also leaning back in his chair, swiftly gulping down the remainder of his wine. He got up to go fill himself another.

“Where are you going?” Naruto asked.

“To get more wine.” Sasuke responded. “I’ve got to nurse my budding migraine.” 

“What, are you blaming me?” Naruto called out.

“Partly.” Sasuke called back, as he returned with a freshly poured red in his glass.

They sat in silence for moment, watching a barely audible rerun of a Friend’s episode. It helped a bit to lighten the mood. He’d wished he felt more guilt after his and Naruto’s confrontation, but he just couldn’t muster it. He agreed in everything he was saying. In fact, it frustrated him that Naruto wasn’t seeing the good intentions he had with his words. He glanced over at Naruto, his eyes looked heavy… While it wasn’t guilt that he felt, he did feel a longing sadness. He was afraid that if his point of view was so wildly skewed from Naruto’s, they’d have nights like this for the rest of their lives. And those nights would ultimately drain them of all the energy they’d once had to pull through. It could be their demise. He shook his head though. He would never leave Naruto. He couldn’t. He’d never connected with anyone else on such an intimate level. The two of them were different, but it’s what made them whole. He couldn’t abandon it. He wouldn’t want to. He hoped the same could be said for the blonde.

“I’m going to be heading out of town for a few days…” Sasuke said, softly. He watched as Naruto took a deep breath and looked over at him, his head resting on the wall behind the couch.

“Yeah, okay.” He gave Sasuke a small smile, but it was void of happiness. “When will you be back?”

“Friday.” Naruto nodded, but kept his gaze locked on Sasuke’s. They sat in this lingering silence. It felt… odd to say the least. As if something was… Sasuke didn’t want to think about it.

“I’ll probably be going out with the staff Friday night, but—“ Sasuke cut him off.

“Maybe I can drop by.” For the first time that night, Naruto’s eyes gleamed brightly.

“Yeah, you should.” Naruto lifted himself off the couch, passing Sasuke the remote before leaning down to Sasuke’s seated eye level. He gripped his fingers onto Sasuke’s chin, steering him to be face to face with Naruto. The blonde planted a light, but passionate kiss on the raven and Sasuke melted. Even after their evening of disagreement, Naruto was irreplaceable and could make his heart skip a beat with a simple kiss. He wondered if Naruto knew the effect he still had on him.

“I’m gonna get ready for bed.” Naruto said as he licked his lips, which Sasuke focused on, and then walked down the hallway towards their bedroom.

“Be there soon.” Sasuke called out as he shut his eyes, willing the butterflies in his stomach to calm down.

* * *

Naruto walked into the bedroom, his face blank. He couldn’t feel anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...


	3. Sakura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome back! I'm excited to share with you the next chapter of the series. Things are a little rocky now and both Sasuke and Naruto are confused about their feelings. This is a very plot heavy chapter, but there is some emotional talk in here as well. I'm trying to delicately write this spiral into a break up. We'll see how it goes!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts as always! And enjoy the read!

Sasuke stood in the airport waiting for his small checked baggage to make its way around the carousel. He’d made it to Tokyo safe, so he pulled out his phone to let Naruto know. The day before he left, they’d hadn’t much time to really chat about Naruto’s new job possibility, nor their wedding plans. Waking up that following Tuesday was difficult for Sasuke. He felt the aftereffects from their confrontation and it muddled his emotions. They’d, fortunately, apologized, but it had felt hollow—strangely, and that hollowness extended more so from Naruto’s side. Sasuke knew Naruto loved open communication, so he wanted to provide that. But even through that open line of communication they’d had, something still wasn’t right and Sasuke couldn’t put his finger on it.

He scrolled down his list of contacts on his phone and dialed Naruto. The blonde was at work, but Sasuke’d said he would call when he landed.

After a few rings, Naruto picked up.

_“Hey, Sasuke. You got there in one piece?”_ Naruto said.

“Yeah. Waiting for my bag now. How was your morning?” Sasuke asked.

_“Uneventful. We’re closing up shop early to brainstorm for the Hyuuga meeting tomorrow.”_ Naruto responded.

Sasuke didn’t want to make any wrong moves with his own response, so he thought before he spoke.

“Are you… nervous?” Hopefully, that wouldn’t touch any buttons.

_“Ah, so_ now _you’re interested?”_ Sasuke could hear Naruto’s playful smirk through the phone.

“I was always interested.” Sasuke said.

_“You had a weird way of showing it.”_ Sasuke took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He didn’t want to respond to that but he couldn’t help it.

“I apologized, didn’t I?” Sasuke said.

_“Has your opinion changed about whether or not this venture could be good?”_ Naruto tested him, which made the Uchiha scowl.

“I’m happy you’re doing what you think you should do.” Sasuke said, not giving Naruto the satisfaction. He heard a sigh through the other end of the phone.

_“Thanks, I guess. But to answer your question—no, I’m not nervous. I think I do well when I’m one-on-one with people. Plus, Hinata actually sounds super interested anyway, so… I think it will be fun. I’ll let you know how it goes when you get back. If you care to know, that is.”_ Sasuke saw his bag come around the carousel and reached to pick it up.

“I do care to know, Naruto. Don’t say that shit.” Sasuke said as he started making his way outside of the airport to find a taxi. There was an odd silence as if Naruto was waiting for something else, but it never came. The two of them were about to head into separate meetings that could alter how their lives moved forward. It could make them better or worse. While Sasuke wasn’t sold on the career move Naruto might take, he wanted to be as supportive as he could. He knew Naruto was supportive of him, right?

“So, good luck then.” Sasuke said, hoping he’d hear those same words in response.

_“Ah, thanks. I’ll talk to you later… Or tomorrow, whichever.”_ Naruto said, seemingly distracted on the other end. 

“Yeah, bye.” Sasuke said, feelings slightly dejected.

_“Later!”_ Naruto concluded the call with a click. Sasuke put the phone back in his pocket, unsure why he felt so alone in that moment. 

He looked around, spotting the man standing outside of the black SUV holding a sign with his name on it. He approached.

“Sasuke Uchiha?” The man said in a deep tone. He was dressed in a black suit, with his hair slicked back. His cologne was exceedingly strong, but Sasuke didn’t mind. Airports tended to smell stuffy and of poor hygiene, at least this man gave a shit about his scent and appearance.

“That’s me.” Sasuke responded as the man lowered the sign he was holding.

“Let me take your bag for you.” The man took Sasuke’s small bag of luggage and then opened the door, allowing the Uchiha access. Sasuke slid on the leather seats in the back of the car and sighed. 

As the man started driving through the heavily crowded streets of Tokyo, Sasuke couldn’t help but use the people he saw as distractions. He had a very important meeting tomorrow and he didn’t want to fuck it up, but the past few days with Naruto hadn’t been super comforting. It felt like something was coming that he should prepare for, but he wasn’t sure what. He knew him and Naruto were almost always on the same page. Yes, sometimes their approach to situations differed, but the overall outcome they wanted was always the same. Each man wanted happiness for the other, success in their respective careers, and comfort in their shared home… These ideas weren’t new, nor uncommon. 

Sasuke wondered when Naruto started wanting more out of his career. Had he missed something? Naruto had always enjoyed the quaint bookstore and everything it offered. Sure, maybe once or twice he tossed out the idea of building it into something more, but he always shrugged it off after. Was he serious? As the SUV stopped at a traffic light, Sasuke’s eyes latched onto a man with blonde hair, similar to Naruto’s, crossing the street. He couldn’t help but remember when the blonde had first inherited the bookstore.

Him and Naruto had been out of college for around three years at that point, making both of them around 24 years old. Sasuke was still working under his brother, but his track record as an agent was unrivaled. His schedule then was looser, and a lot of the paperwork he needed to do during and after sales could be done from his apartment. Naruto, at that point, worked alongside Jiraiya in helping him edit his novels, but he also started writing himself. Sasuke knew Naruto loved to write, but he had stopped shortly after Jiraiya left him the bookstore. He became more of a business man, but Naruto didn’t seem bothered by it. Sasuke had just thought Naruto found a passion that suited him better.

During that first year of Naruto owning the store, their relationship nosedived. Naruto had found himself under immense stress and the bookstore’s profits were constantly in the red. Sasuke was unsure whether Naruto had the power to keep it thriving. But, being the fighter he is, Naruto didn’t give up. He’d worked his ass off to liven up the space, bring in new ideas, and create an experience out of it. Sasuke was floored when he saw just how far that dusty bookstore went. It took Naruto two and a half years to make headlines with his attraction. Soon after that, Sasuke was promoted to partner at Uchiha Enterprises and Naruto hired a full staff. Both became bosses, which, inherently, put both of them under certain stress, causing their relationship to take the backseat and their wedding… Well… 

Sasuke lowered his head, feeling a buzzing coming from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and answered.

“Itachi.” Sasuke’s confident voice rung through the phone.

_“Sasuke, how was the flight?”_ Itachi asked, calmly.

“Uneventful.” Sasuke responded.

_“I see.”_ There was a brief silence. _“Listen, Sasuke, I wanted to bring up something I was talking to Naruto about the other day at the Gala—“_

“Don’t bother. Naruto already told me what the topic of conversation was.” Sasuke responded, bitterly.

_“Well, that’s good. Have you set a date then?”_ Itachi asked, his voice still as calm as ever, which ticked Sasuke off.

“Have we what?” Sasuke asked.

_“Set a date for the wedding.”_ Sasuke’s face scowled at the thought of his brother so casually challenging him. _“You know, work isn’t going to lessen up. If you secure this merger, I’m putting you in charge of the transition teams where you’ll be working alongside of Sakura and splitting your time between Konoha and Tokyo. If you think you’re working hard now, you’ll be working more later.”_

“Is that some type of threat, Itachi?” Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration.

_“Hardly. Consider it a reality check. Naruto knows that your work is demanding, but you can’t keep pushing off things with him and using work as an excuse. It’s better to be honest.”_

“You talk to me as if you’ve had this experience before, which you haven’t.” Sasuke countered.

_“It’s true. However, it’s amazing what I can see as a third party observer.”_

“Sometimes you’re despicable.” Sasuke could hear Itachi’s small laugh through the phone.

_“I’m not trying to be. I’m just worried that you’re thinking too much about work and not enough about—“_

“Drop it, Itachi! I can handle my own relationship, just like how I can handle this fucking merger.” Sasuke was seething. He didn’t understand why his brother felt so inclined to meddle in his life. He knew Itachi was very protective and constantly needed to provide for Sasuke, but Sasuke was almost 30. He could handle his own now and Itachi needed to get that through his head.

The other side of the phone had a haunting silence and Sasuke almost wondered if he went too far.

_“Are you happy?”_ Itachi asked, still collected. The question threw Sasuke off and he stumbled a bit with his words as he responded.

“Am—I—Yes, of course. I have no reason not to be. What kind of a question is that?” He cursed the wavering in his voice as he responded.

_“And what about Naruto?”_ Sasuke’s hand squeezed the phone to his ear so tight it might’ve broken if he didn’t let up fast enough. Ugh… Sasuke didn’t know the answer. He could only assume.

“I—I would say he is as well, but it’s not like you need to know. So, just drop it. Please.” Sasuke’s voice softened at the end of the sentence. Sasuke could feel Itachi’s stare through the phone. He could imagine his dark, yet warm eyes pouring out their sorrows onto him. But Sasuke shook himself to forget that image. He looked outside the window and saw that the SUV was pulling into the hotel. And so, he excused himself.

“I’ve got to go, Itachi. I’ll let you know how the meeting goes tomorrow.” Sasuke said.

_“I’m looking forward to it. Good luck.”_ Sasuke clicked off the phone call and sighed, watching as his driver got out to grab his luggage for him. Itachi wished him luck. It still meant something to hear it from his brother, but it hurt to have not heard it from his lover.

The SUV door was opened for Sasuke and he smiled as he was handed his luggage. He tipped his driver, set off into the five-star hotel, checked in, and made his way up to his room on the 10th floor. He had a fairly large suite with a king-sized bed and windows that stretched the width of the space. Sasuke set down his luggage and the foot of the bed, immediately pulling out his suit for the meeting tomorrow to let it hang in the closet. He needed to rinse the feeling of disgust from his body. He never felt “good” after getting off a flight, so a shower was always necessary. On top of that, though, his conversation with Itachi had that gross feeling lingering about himself. 

He quickly hopped in the shower, hoping it would make him feel more refreshed. As he let the water fall over his backside he looked down at it pooling to his feet and rushing down the drain. The water skimmed over his eyes, making his vision blurry. He rubbed them and sighed. As much as he hated to agree with Itachi and let his words get the better of him, the man was right. His job wasn’t going to get easier. If—now, when—he eventually became the point person in this merger, they’d be opening up a new market across all of the major cities in Japan. His job wouldn’t be confined to Konoha anymore. He would be the overseer and need to maintain profitable success rates in order for the merger to be worth it. His work would double—no triple. 

“Fuck…” Sasuke banged his fist against the white, marble tile of the shower. Naruto’s frustration made sense. Their engagement had plateaued. Naruto probably didn’t even take Sasuke’s words to heart anymore. Why should he? For the first year of the engagement, Sasuke had told Naruto that once he secured partner, they could start planning, except that didn’t happen. Sasuke didn’t know why he had this constant need to outshine his brother or make a name for only himself. It was his competitive nature, he supposed. However, that wasn’t the only reason he worked night and day… He wanted to provide for Naruto, just as Itachi had provided for him. Naruto never had a place to call home, but Sasuke wanted to give that to him. Sasuke knew how dealing with past childhood trauma’s looked. He saw it in Itachi, who gave his life to his work and protecting his younger brother. Naruto dealt with it by surrounding himself with people he trusted and loved. Sasuke knew Naruto had found that with himself and his staff at the bookstore… 

Sasuke turned off the shower and wrapped himself a white robe. He wished his work life wasn’t so demanding, but, then again, he wished Naruto could see that he was doing it to be a provider…

Sasuke changed into his clothes for the day and opened up his laptop. He couldn’t think about Naruto right now though. He needed to focus on the meeting ahead.

He googled “Sakura Haruno.”

A stream of websites and information flooded onto his screen about the young, beauty set to take over Haruno Enterprises. Sasuke clicked the first article he found and was greeted with the smirking, yet reserved face of a female with striking pink hair and bright green eyes. Sasuke was take aback for a moment. He caught himself looking at her image for a second longer than he should’ve, so he scrolled down.

Some things stuck out to him: _Soon-to-be-owner of the strongest international luxury real estate market, youngest take over in Japan’s history, 27 year old who spearheaded the now recognized global technology platform used by most luxury estate companies, Loves baking, first edition novels, and confident, intellectual men._

Sasuke felt as though the end of the interview became more of a dating profile, but he’d gathered enough information to understand who Sakura was and how she operated. He slowly scrolled back to the top of the page, catching a glimpse of her image again. Itachi was right. He could sense her flirtation through the screen. He wasn’t afraid that she’d throw herself at him—in fact, it was something he’d gotten used to throughout grade school and college. Women and men alike found both him and his brother attractive. Even Naruto confessed, years ago, that the first time he saw Itachi he almost jizzed in his pants. Which definitely made Sasuke jealous because Naruto and him had hated each other the first time they met, so Sasuke knew he didn’t elicit that kind of response from the blonde. 

Sasuke shut his laptop. He wasn’t worried about the meeting. He’d relax and prepare to the best of his abilities. And so, he fell onto the bed and opened the room service menu.

* * *

Naruto and Shikamaru slid into the lounge chairs that decorated the record/vinyl area in the book store. Each had their own bowl of ramen in a plastic take out container. Naruto had closed the store down a bit earlier than usual, so him and Shikamaru could figure out how they could impress Hinata. Naruto felt a jolt of energy surge through him. It was an excitement that he’d thought was long gone and dormant. He wasn’t openly seeking out an opportunity like this, purely because he’d thought he’d accomplished all that he could concerning this store. Hearing that someone thought they could get more gave him hope. It also made him think about writing again, which he hadn’t thought about for years.

He didn’t quite know what would come out of this meeting, but that wasn’t necessarily the point for him. He felt validated, as did the rest of his staff. He knew the idea of opening another store would be risky, Sasuke was right on that front, but it didn’t mean the risk wouldn’t be worth it.

Naruto knew Sasuke challenged him in his thought. It normally kept Naruto very grounded. But when Naruto had brought up the opportunity to Sasuke, it felt as though the Uchiha just didn’t see the point. He didn’t understand why though. Naruto having an opportunity to be more involved in his business was a good thing. Sure, he’d have less time, but if it made him happy it shouldn’t have been a problem. It didn’t matter what Sasuke thought about it. He was going to do what he wanted to do as a business owner. However, he couldn’t help that his lovers skepticism put him off kilter. 

“Something on your mind?” Shikamaru said, slurping up some noodles.

“Nah, just thinking about tomorrow.” Naruto lied. Shikamaru sensed it, but didn’t press further. Instead, he pulled out his phone and opened a news article about Hinata and her work.

Naruto glanced at the image of Hinata on the front page. She had long, dark hair with bangs that stopped right above her bright eyes. Naruto stared into them for a moment, feeling drunk off of them. Her gaze was intoxicating. He had to shake his head to focus back on reality. He quickly scrolled down to read about the exhibit she’d had recently. The works they showcased were similar to the ones Sai had been given. Hinata seemed down to Earth. On top of that, she seemed to be highly intellectual, quite reserved, all the while coming from a huge political family who was constantly in the spotlight. Naruto was familiar with that lifestyle, having spent the past years with Sasuke and the Uchiha company. 

Naruto handed Shikamaru back his phone.

“She seems cool.” Naruto said, diving back into his ramen.

“Yeah. She doesn’t do much with the political aspect of the family. She is more strictly aligned with small business investments and philanthropy.” Shikamaru added, scrolling through his phone.

“So, do you think this is a good idea then?” Naruto asked.

Shikamaru lifted his eyes from the phone screen, placing it down at his side, connecting with Naruto. “Yeah.” His word was serious. Shikamaru was smart and wouldn’t lead Naruto down a path that was impossible. Hearing him agree that this venture would be good struck Naruto with a wave of relief. “Well, more work is always a drag, but…” Shikamaru leaned back in the lounge chair. “Why, are you second guessing this?”

Naruto looked away. “I don’t think so…”

“Did something happen?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto shrugged when Shikamaru eyed him with an expectant glare. Naruto gave in.

“It’s not like I’m letting it affect me, but Sasuke seemed less than enthused about it when I brought it up.” Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow.

“Everything I said about it all, he seemed to just outright challenge it and it made me—not gonna lie—kinda pissed off. But now, I’m like wondering—“ Naruto trailed off.

“You know that whatever you decide to do, I’ll help support you in that. We all will.” Shikamaru gestured to the now empty book store. Naruto knew what he meant. 

“Thanks. I didn’t doubt you guys’ support. Not once.” Naruto confirmed to a smiling Shikamaru. The two relaxed a bit, finishing off their ramen. 

“Can I ask you something though, Shikamaru?” Naruto posed the question in the air. Shikamaru nodded.

Naruto held onto the silence for a moment. His previous statement had popped out of the blue and created a flow of tension in the air. Naruto tensed his muscles as he thought about how to phrase what he needed to Shikamaru. In essence, he wanted to know if Sasuke and him made sense anymore. Granted, Shikamaru wouldn’t know the answer to that question. Naruto was fairly open with his emotions, except for when he didn’t know how to express them. Lately, that had been the case. He didn’t talk with anyone about Sasuke and their unsteady relationship. He was afraid of what people might say. He was also afraid that the moment he stated that their relationship wasn’t what he wanted anymore, it would all become too real. Shikamaru had a good head on his shoulders and always had an unbiased opinion. He could truly listen to Naruto and provide good advice. Who needed a therapist when they had Shikamaru?

Naruto looked away, unsure of how to say it all. He wanted to be honest, but that could just end up bringing a world of hurt. But then again, if he wasn’t honest, that hurt would rear its ugly face anyway. 

“What if…” Naruto gulped, noticing his hand shaking a bit. He gripped his pants to try and restrain his emotions. “What if it’s not working out anymore?” He bit out. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel that hurt, more like a weight lifted from him. He opened his eyes to look at Shikamaru, who didn’t seem overly phased by the question.

“With Sasuke?” Naruto nodded and Shikamaru shrugged, but not out of disinterest. “You guys are engaged, you know. It’s not like you can just walk away from it easily.”

“I know. He’s just… I don’t know how to phrase it.”

“Pissing you off?”

“Yeah!” Naruto pointed at Shikamaru. “You get it.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair more, like a pouting child. 

“I’m not sure I do, Naruto. So, you’re pissed off at Sasuke? You guys used to argue all the time, how is this any different?” 

It was true. Their relationship had always been fire and ice. But normally after a fight or argument, they’d have pretty amazing make up sex, or a heart-to-heart confessional. They made it up to each other in various ways, but lately their arguments had been unjustified. It seemed as though any little thing could irk the other into a bad mood. Which had become stressful the more Sasuke overworked himself and buried himself in his career. Naruto felt like the only outlet for happiness he had would be his own career now. 

“It just is. I can’t explain it. I used to be able to understand him and his emotions reached me, but now it’s just empty. I get mad at him and I don’t care. And it fucking sucks, but I just…” Naruto trailed off again and Shikamaru actually had a look of concern on his face. 

“Are you sure you want to have this meeting tomorrow?” Shikamaru asked, and Naruto stood up in a confident stance.

“Absolutely. I don’t want to miss this for anything.” He said, and Shikamaru nodded. “It’s good Sasuke is out of town. I can focus on this and that’s it, you know?”

Naruto grabbed the empty take-out bowls of ramen and tossed them in the trash.

“What are you going to do when he comes back?”

Naruto shrugged. “Who knows? Hopefully this meeting goes well and I’ll some answers for myself. I’ve got pretty good intuition and something about Hinata makes me feel hopeful.” Naruto smiled, finding his way back to the lounge chair. Thinking about how this meeting could benefit the business and all of his amazing staff perked him up a bit. If Sasuke wasn’t going to support him, he’d support himself. He was going to make his own decisions and see where the river took him. He wasn’t about to wait for life to start anymore.

* * *

Sasuke pulled up to a nice restaurant located in the Roppongi District of the city called Towers. The place was surrounded by high-rise hotels and Michelin star restaurants, as well as excessive clubs and bars that attracted the wealthy natives and tourists of Tokyo. The place was located with a Ritz-Carlton. Since he had not planned the meeting, but rather Haruno Enterprises had, Sasuke was rather surprised by the venue choice. It seemed like a hot spot for a romantic dinner rather than a business meeting. What with the many clubs and the fact the restaurant was connected to a hotel… Sasuke sighed and walked in.

He approached the host and gave him his name and who he was meeting. He was immediately led to a quaint area around the corner that had a lovely view of the city. Seated at the table for two was Sakura Haruno—his “date” for the evening.

When the two locked eyes, Sakura stood up. She was wearing a nicely fitted blazer and pencil skirt, which was typical of women who owned a business. Sasuke walked over and the two shook hands as the host left them in peace.

“You must be Sasuke Uchiha.” She said, smiling.

“And you Sakura Haruno.” Sasuke returned the plastic smile. 

He found his seat across from her and noticed she’d already ordered a bottle of red for them to split. She started pouring him his own glass as he got settled.

“Hope you don’t mind this Chateaux. It’s my favorite vintage they have here.” She corked the bottle and held up her own glass to cheers him. He lifted his own glass and they clinked, each taking a sip. He mulled over the flavor and found it to be right up his alley.

“Tastes amazing.” He said.

“Towers has one of the widest ranges of vintage red’s in Roppongi and this has been my favorite so far. I’m glad you like it too.” She smiled at him.

He took another sit before checking out the menu in front of him. 

“I’d do the steak.” Sakura chimed in. “Medium rare.” 

Just as she said that, the waiter came over to take their order. Both of them ordered the medium rare steak. As he walked away, Sakura leaned forward to grab Sasuke’s attention.

“So, should we just sign the papers now?” Sakura asked. Sasuke’s eyes widened in slight shock. 

“Don’t look so surprised. I already knew I was going to go through with the merger before we had this meeting. Uchiha Estates is a pioneer in luxury properties and your strong sales engine makes our partnership almost perfect. Just like how we could use your record-breaking deals, _Sasuke_ , you could use our international reach and marketing platforms. This is a win-win situation in my book, don’t you think?”

Sasuke’s eyes were glued to hers. Here he thought he was going to have to prove Uchiha Estates as a worthy company to partner with… Who knew he’d bag the win so soon.

“And with us signing the papers now, we could enjoy the rest of our evening.” Her voice was suggestive to say the least. He’d barely gotten a word in and his trip was already a success.

“You’re making me blush with that stare.” Sakura purred, causing Sasuke to snap out of his intense gaze. He blinked a few times to jolt himself out of his thoughts and back into reality.

“Sorry. You just surprised me.” He said.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” She said in response.

Sasuke smiled at her as he took another sip of his wine. Her brazen attitude mixed with her confident aura was weirdly interesting to be around. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted and went after it fully. It was… refreshing to around someone like that. His mind briefly went to Naruto and his boisterous, spontaneous self… However, that person hadn’t been around recently. It was nice to that type of a person again, even if it wasn’t from the blonde.

“Now, tell me…” Sakura started trailing off, asking Sasuke questions about his life and, as they enjoyed their food, he couldn’t help but also enjoy their conversation. He hoped it was just him feeding off the adrenaline of securing his biggest deal yet and the alcohol filtering through his blood stream though. 

The two ended up signed the papers to secure the merger at the end of the meal, which Sasuke paid for, causing Sakura to blush even more. As they left the restaurant, Sakura wasn’t ready to let the night end and Sasuke… Well, he wasn’t either.

“There’s a midnight art exhibit and wine bar down the street. How about it?” She posed the question and Sasuke didn’t refuse. As long as he got home at a reasonable enough hour to make his early flight, he would be fine. And so…

“Let’s go then.” And off they went.


	4. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! This one is pretty cute, but also pretty hot and heavy towards the end. It gets a little graphic, nothing you can't handle, but I'm just warning you. I really like this chapter! I'm so excited to finally share with you all. As always, let me know what you think. The comments mean the world to me!
> 
> CHEERS AND ENJOY!

Naruto sat in the small, cozy booth in the inside corner of the bistro he’d chosen to meet Hinata. He’d come a bit early—something new for him—and was wearing a nice button down, which was loose fitting and black jeans with a denim jacket. It wasn’t anything much different from what he wore on an everyday basis, but he did bust out a button down. Someone that new him would notice the subtle change in wardrobe. He couldn’t lie—he wanted to impress Hinata. He wanted her to bet on him and his shabby bookstore. He wanted to come out of this meeting feeling like he’d accomplished something or, at least, had some clarity on where he was going to go in his life next.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket. There was still a ten minute window before the meeting was supposed to start. He browsed through his text messages and shot one out to Shikamaru.

_(Naruto) My hands are sweating._

It was all he could think of at the moment. He swiped out of his conversation with Shikamaru and let his thumb linger over Sasuke’s name. He clicked on it and read the lone message he’d send to Sasuke early this morning, but hadn’t got a reply yet. He assumed Sasuke was on the plane back to Konoha or just booked with other things. He was a busy all the time, which actually came across as an understatement. He thought about texting the Uchiha again, but what would that do? If he couldn’t respond, he couldn’t respond. Naruto knew that he was going to come back that day, he didn’t need to worry about anything. 

His phone buzzed with a message from Shikamaru.

_(Shikamaru) You’re not one to get nervous. You need me or are you good?_

Naruto smiled. He liked having Shikamaru as his close friend and business partner. He felt that any fuck up that Naruto did, Shikamaru would never berate him. In fact, he’d help him fix the problem. It’s what friends were for. And Shikamaru was the type of friend you kept by your side for an entire lifetime. Naruto responded.

_(Naruto) I’m good. You don’t need to save my ass just yet._

Naruto smirked as he slid his phone back into his pocket and felt a gentle tap on his shoulder, which nearly sent him flying out of the booth. He looked and stood up to face a woman, his age, who looked identical to the picture he’d seen the other night. Hinata Hyuuga.

“I’m so sorry if I startled you.” Hinata said. Her voice was so light, Naruto was afraid he’d scare her off with how naturally raspy his own was.

He rubbed the back of his head and grinned as he held out his other hand for her to shake. “Don’t be sorry. That was—you’re all good. I’m Naruto, by the way.” Hinata’s cheeks were tinted a light pink and Naruto couldn’t tell if she was blushing or just wearing blush. She took his hand and they shook to introduce themselves.

“I’m Hinata. Nice to meet you.”

The two sat down opposite of each other in the booth as the waiter approached and took their drink orders. Naruto stuck to his normal black coffee and Hinata piggy backed off of him. 

“Thanks for meeting with me.” Hinata said, softly. Her body language held a confidence that could be intimidating if you didn’t hear her speak.

“I’m the one that should be thanking you. I didn’t—Well, I didn’t know that someone would think of our little bookstore as something to potentially invest in.” Naruto didn’t want to downplay his bookstore, but he still felt the nature of Sasuke’s words from before he left creep into his mind. He was happy to speak to Hinata, but he wasn’t sure anything would come out of the meeting. He didn’t want to let the negative thoughts overtake him just yet though. 

Hinata giggled and looked up at Naruto.

“Sai told me a bit about the bookstore, but I’m interested in hearing what else—if anything—you’d thought about adding onto it, to maybe expand it into something more.” 

Naruto felt his stomach drop. She was hopping straight into the business. He felt like he was at an important interview that he _absolutely could not fuck up._ He didn’t know why he suddenly felt all this pressure… Maybe he wanted to stick it to Sasuke. Yeah… Sasuke doubted him in this. If Naruto could walk away with something to show for it, maybe Sasuke would bow down and apologize profusely. Naruto shook his head. _As if._

“Well, I guess I could start by sharing what our mission is at the store.” Naruto said, in half a question as if waiting for permission from Hinata to continue. She just smiled at him, which comforted him enough.

“Right. So, at _Talk Wordy To Me_ —“ Hinata giggled again and Naruto’s eyes widened. “I know the name is super suggestive, but—“

“I love it.” Hinata cut him off. Naruto’s face dropped slightly in shock. Normally, women found the name vulgar. A lot of people walked into the store thinking it was an adult entertainment shop. Jiraiya always stuck to his guns when it came to his wise, yet perverted nature. Naruto didn’t know how something like a dirty pun would fair across Japan though.

“You love it?” Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded. “It’s funny and smart and intriguing.”

“Intriguing? I mean—yeah, I guess it is.” Naruto nervously chuckled.

The waiter returned with their drinks and asked if they wanted any food. Hinata let Naruto order for the both of them.

“Anyway, about the mission…” Naruto took a breath. “So, when I first inherited the store it was just a regular come-and-go book store. But, over time, I noticed how books weren’t enough to keep people coming back and engaging with us… I wanted to…” He took a sip of his coffee, which in turn burnt his tongue. “Ah! Sorry!” He looked over at Hinata, who was surprisingly still engaged and attentive. He would’ve expected her to have tuned him out by how terribly he was babbling on.

“Basically, I wanted to create a place for people to come and never get bored. Be it with books, or art, or music, or just talking to new people… We—me and my business partner, Shikamaru—were able to reach out to local artists to set up shop and got donations from locals for records and things. I even had a friends of mine from college come down and rearrange the space to have a more interactive layout. But, yeah, basically, that’s kind of it.” Naruto finished off, taking another sip of his coffee, but not without blowing on it first to cool it down. He looked and studied Hinata to gauge her reaction.

She continued to smile. “It’s amazing.” Again, Naruto was surprised. “It’s so amazing that I think we should open another one.” 

Naruto’s eyes were glued to her. She wasn’t joking. She had a smile on her face, a warm, delicate smile. It was inviting him in. She was, in no way, intimidating him or looking to take advantage. He couldn’t get over how floored he was.

Hinata saw his face and couldn’t help but comment. “You okay?” She tilted her head.

Naruto nodded and took another deep breath. “I’m fine. I’m more than fine, to be honest. I guess I’m just…”

“Happy?” Hinata asked.

“Confused is more like it.” For the first time, Hinata’s smile disappeared and she almost internalized her emotions. He couldn’t get a read on her that was accurate. They broke eye contact. Naruto felt as if he said something wrong.

“I am happy, absolutely.” He tried to cover himself. “I guess I’m just not used to people being so ready to take risks like me.” 

Hinata looked up at him. “Lots of people are ready to take risks. Maybe you’ve been dealing with people who aren’t ready to take risks on you though.” 

Naruto sat back. That was _deep_. He never thought about things that way. Perhaps it made sense though. Sasuke took risks all in his career. In fact, the merger he was out of town securing was a risk in and of itself. With that, he was taking on a huge responsibility that could jeopardize the future of his brother’s self-made company. Itachi took risks by starting the company in the first place. Jiraiya took risks by writing his own books and setting off on a self-distribution tour around the world. It seemed that everyone did, in fact, take risks. 

“I don’t think us working together is a risk though. I can’t see it being that way at all.” Hinata confided in him. Her face was still serious. It’s as if she turned into the political, domineering woman she appeared to be in the media. 

“If we opened another store, how would we do that?” Naruto asked as the waiter dropped off their plates of food. 

Hinata smiled a bit. “Lots of ways. First, we’d have to think about where to put it. Then we’d have to think about what the store offers that is complimentary, but not the same as what you offer here. I think adding something new is what will keep your store and your brand interesting. Maybe…” It looked as though a lightbulb went off in her head. “Maybe we start with some pop-ups.”

Naruto questioned her with food shoved in his mouth. “Pop-ups?”

Hinata nodded. “Yeah. They’re little stores set up for a limited amount of time that sell specific items that pertain to the brand. For instance… You’re store does theme weeks, right?”

Damn, she did her research. “Yeah.”

“Okay, so, in a themed week pop-up we would do a… Stephen King Pop-Up: Talk Wordy Style. Where in that store, we would sell all of these Stephen King themed items: Books, records, art… Anything we can think of.” Hinata was deep in thought, but as her ideas came she just kept talking. For once, Naruto was happy to listen. “It would last the whole week of the theme. Maybe… You know, nix the pop-up’s. If we open another store, maybe we host classes there. Writing classes, art classes… We can invite local writers or artists, or well known ones to do style specific things. Like readings or lectures!” Hinata was bursting with excitement. She looked so reserved in everything she did, but when she found something she was passionate about, her persona burst into a vibrant rainbow of color. Naruto was entranced, which she noticed, a blush hitting her cheeks again.

“Sorry, was that too much?” She asked.

Naruto slowly shook his head. He could help but feel so recognized as he sat across the table from Hinata. She didn’t know him at all, but wanted to see his business flourish. He couldn’t believe everything he was hearing. It hyped him up.

“Honestly, that was awesome.” He smiled. “I would really like to work with you.”

Hinata returned his smile. “I think we’d make a good team.”

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Even though the path ahead hadn’t been planned, he was happy to know that him and his team could forge ahead into new territory. It was exciting and he could feel his heart racing. He couldn’t wait to jump straight into things.

“So, what’s first?” The excitement poured out of his voice with ease. Again, Hinata giggled.

“I love your enthusiasm.” She commented.

“Hey, I’m just matching yours.” He shot back at her.

“True. I tend to get a bit carried away when I’m excited.”

“That makes two of us.” He caught her eye. It felt nice.

“Good. It’s nice to work with someone who can balance you out.” It wasn’t flirtatious. He knew that. But for some reason there was a hint of _something_ in that statement. He didn’t shy away from it though. He wasn’t interested in Hinata. Yeah, she was cute, but he wasn’t thinking about her in any way other than business partner. He was sure she’d have someone already. Being successful, cute, confident, rich… Yeah, she definitely wasn’t single. Naruto pinched himself. Why was he even thinking about it in the first place?

“I guess we need to come up with a plan for the type of business to build.” She said, eating her food.

“I liked the pop-up idea.” Naruto added on.

“Yeah, it’s nice. But I want something more permanent. I think we open a new store, maybe in Tokyo? We can call it Talk Wordy To Me: Vol. 2.”

“I like it.”

“Me too. And inside we still have a bookstore, but maybe we add that interactive element but amplify it.”

Naruto’s eye’s widened. “How?”

“Hm… Let’s build worlds inside of the store. Let’s have a fantasy section that looks like Middle Earth, a mystery/horror section that looks like the hotel from The Shining, a young adult section that looks like a teenager’s bedroom… The possibilities are endless!”

“We can hire local artists to decorate the individual spaces with their own art as well!” Naruto chimed in.

“Perfect! And we add in a bar or restaurant that sells specialty food and drinks from novels. We can change up the menu often to fit your theme weeks!”

“Amazing!”

The two looked at each other as if they’d just uncovered a long lost treasure. Naruto couldn’t hide the pure joy in his face as he looked into Hinata’s eyes. She was emanating the same energy and Naruto was feeding off of it. 

Naruto was pretty fucking happy.

* * *

Naruto was pretty fucking drunk. 

After having breaking the news about how well the meeting went with Hinata to his staff, they’d spent the last day celebrating and bouncing ideas off of each other. Finally, it was Friday. Time for the weekend. They didn’t need to wake up early the next day and there were no obligations that Naruto had whatsoever. With that being the case, him and his squad were allowed the free flowing alcohol to keep on coming. 

Naruto looked down at his now empty glass. He couldn’t remember if he was on five or six, but the numbers kept on increasing. He looked around as his equally inebriated comrades. Kiba was bragging about his latest shag. Naruto always wondered how truthful Kiba was being whenever he talked about his sexual escapades. He knew the guy had a wild side, but it was hard to believe he was _kinky_.

“And she was practically begging by the end of it. Out of pain or pleasure? Who could’ve known?” Kiba finished off as he swung his drink to his lips and swallowed it all down.

Naruto glanced over at Temari, who was shoulder to shoulder with Shikamaru. She was prepped to call Kiba out on his bullshit. She was hardcore and getting on her bad side would be the end of any person. 

“Shut it, Kiba. You talk about women like they’re some piece of property!” Temari scolded him. Kiba laughed and tried to talk himself out of the accusation, but it just ended up with them getting into a heated discussion about how to please a woman during sex.

Sai even decided to chime in every once in a while, even though he tended to be a more quiet drunk. “You know, around 80 percent of women fake their orgasms, Kiba. I highly doubt you provide them the pleasure you say you give them every time.”

The entire table went silent before bursting out in laughter. 

Naruto finally chimed in. “Why do we always get on the topic of sex when we’re drunk?” It was a stupid question. 

“Drinking makes people horny, Naruto.” Sai smiled at him. 

“Let’s drop this all, please.” Temari begged, but not before Shikamaru made one final comment to Kiba.

“So, we’re deciding that Kiba has only give around 20 percent of the women he’s been with an orgasm, right?” 

Kiba scoffed. “Hey! Maybe I’m just a genius in bed!”

“We’d need willing participants to give feedback.” Sai said.

“Good luck finding anyone _willing_.” Temari shot eyes at Kiba, causing the entire group to laugh yet again. 

As the conversation continued, Naruto pulled out his phone to check the time. It was nearing midnight. He was hoping Sasuke would’ve joined them like he’d said he would, but he hadn’t expected it. He decided to shoot the man a text, however, he did it through shaky fingers and blurry vision. Thanks, alcohol.

_(Naruto) Heyy are u hone?_

_(Naruto) home_

Naruto lifted his head again to see Shikamaru looking at him.

“I thought Sasuke was gonna meet up with us?” Shikamaru could always sense what Naruto had on his mind. It was truly impressive.

“Yeah, same, whatever.” Naruto shrugged it off. “I’m getting another drink.” And with that, Naruto stood up and headed for the bar. He couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. Him and Sasuke hadn’t talked since the night before, but even then, the conversation had been brief. At work, he got a text stating the Uchiha had made it back to Konoha safe. Naruto didn’t count that as conversation though. And then him and everyone else ended up drinking really quickly to reach maximum drunkness as soon as possible. It was kind of reckless on their part, but they were celebrating. They didn’t want to hold back.

Naruto waited for the bartender to approach him as he looked back down at his phone. He was waiting…

“What can I get you?” Naruto looked up and had to blink once or twice to focus on the man in front of him waiting for his order. The drunkness was really hitting hard now. It seemed as though standing up did change his state. 

“I—uh—another one of these?” He handed it to the bartender who look confused.

“How about a gin and tonic?” The bartender said and Naruto pointed. “That’s it!” He exclaimed.

“Coming right up.” The bartender walked away as Naruto felt a buzz in his hand. He looked down to see a call coming in from Sasuke. he answered.

“Sas’ke!” Naruto couldn’t help slurring his words. “I thought you were—“

Naruto was cut off. _“Come home.”_

“Huh?”

_“It’s late, no?”_ Naruto grimaced. Why was Sasuke ordering him to come home like some child?

“I’m out. I thought you were also coming out, you know!” Naruto fought back as the bartender handed him his beverage. Naruto looked over at the table of his friends laughing and enjoying their time together. He started to feel the anger inside him bubble. 

_“Naruto.”_

“Eh, Sas’ke? You didn’t remember to show up, did you?” 

_“Please.”_

Naruto huffed. He quickly scarfed down his drink, slamming the glass on the counter.

“Fine.” Naruto hung up the phone and closed out his tab before returning to the table of his friends.

“It’s been fun, guys. I’m gonna head out though!” Naruto said, trying to fake his happiness. He could fool everyone, except Shikamaru.

“It’s barely midnight!” Kiba yelled.

“Who knew you’d call an early night?” Temari said in her sassiest tone. 

“What can I say? See you guys on Monday!” Naruto waved and headed out of the bar. However, he didn’t make it far before Shikamaru grabbed onto his shoulder and turned him around.

“Ay, Naruto.” He said, sternly. It was as if he hadn’t been drinking at all that night. He could hold himself so well. While Naruto was quite unsteady. “Do you need a ride or—“ 

Naruto held up his hand. “I’ve got it. I’m calling a cab.” 

Shikamaru nodded and put his hands in his pockets. “I’ll wait with you.” 

Naruto smiled and called the cab. “It should be here in five.”

There was a silence between the two of them for a moment before Shikamaru spoke up. “You’re leaving kind of abruptly. You all good? I saw you on the phone in there.” Shikamaru wasn’t good at talking about emotions or feelings, so Naruto didn’t want to pour it all out onto him. The truth was, though, that he was upset. He felt disappointed that Sasuke didn’t make an effort to come out to the bar, especially because he’d said he would. Even if he forgot, it just felt as though it was purposeful. 

“It was Sasuke, yeah?” Shikamaru asked, but Naruto was only silent. He looked down at his feet, unsure of how he could change the subject without coming off like an asshole.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, but if something comes up or—well, you know how to get ahold of me.” Shikamaru gripped Naruto’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. 

Naruto just looked over at hime and smiled. He was grateful, yet again, to have a friend like Shikamaru.

“Thanks, Shikamaru. I’ll be fine though.” Naruto gave Shikamaru a parting smile as he hopped into the cab, headed back home.

* * *

Naruto fumbled with his keys as he arrived back at the apartment. However, before he could even unlock the door, it was opened for him. Sasuke stood, his face flushed of color, and his outfit kind of all over the place. Naruto eyed him with a confused look, yet Sasuke just stared at him with that stern, controlled face he always wore. 

“What—“ Naruto started to speak, but was cut off when Sasuke grabbed onto the collar of Naruto’s shirt and pulled him inside the apartment. Soon enough, his back was flat against the front door with Sasuke face inches away from his own. Naruto winced at the quick movements, as he felt Sasuke’s breath linger close to his cheek. 

Naruto exhaled heavily and shifted so he could understand why Sasuke had just aggressively pulled and shoved him at the same time. 

“Sas—“ He was cut off again, but this time by a bruising kiss. Naruto’s eyes widened before they closed, his fingers finding their way to the Uchiha’s hips and digging in. Sasuke seemed almost desperate, but that wasn’t all. Was Sasuke _also_ drunk? Naruto allowed the sloppy mess of a kiss to continue as he tilted his head to the side, giving Sasuke better access to all the corners of his mouth. Naruto pulled Sasuke’s hips closer until their bodies were flushed against one other. The heat from their pressed contact sent a shiver down Naruto’s spine. He hadn’t felt this turned on in so long. He didn’t even know how long it’d been since him and Sasuke drunkingly made out. He broke the kiss to catch his breath.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Sasuke’s dark, lustful orbs staring right through him. He couldn’t help but toy with him though.

“Someone miss me?” Naruto teased.

Sasuke used one of the hands that was flexed on the side of Naruto’s face to run through his hair. His face was bright pink. He looked as though he was about to come completely undone, which Naruto was craving.

“Guess what?” Sasuke slurred, smirking.

“Hm?” Naruto asked, using all of his self control to not jump the man flaunting his beauty in front of him. 

Sasuke pulled Naruto away from the door and the two of them stumbled backwards, until Sasuke was pushed up against the edge of the kitchen counter. Naruto leaned in, using his leg to spread Sasuke’s apart. The Uchiha, who was already half-hard, groaned at the pressure. Naruto looked up, feeling the control seep through his being as he watched Sasuke’s face struggle to speak clearly.

Sasuke reached out, grabbing the back of Naruto’s neck and pulling him in so that their foreheads now touched. He bit the blonde’s bottom lip and Naruto tried to lean in to capture the kiss, but Sasuke pulled back. 

That fucker was teasing back.

“I secured the merger.” Sasuke said, then leaning in towards Naruto’s ear. Naruto listened as he said it again. “I secured the biggest fucking thing in my life, Naruto.” 

Naruto blinked a few times as Sasuke began to lick and suck on his ear and the trail kisses down his jaw line. That’s what this is about… His merger.

As Sasuke pressed his lips against Naruto’s again, the blonde didn’t let him go any further. Quickly, he whipped Sasuke’s body around, forcing his stomach flat against the kitchen counter. Now, Naruto’s crotch was firmly placed behind Sasuke’s ass, and then he leaned over to reach Sasuke ear. Sasuke was panting, and let out a slight groan as Naruto rubbed himself against the raven. 

Naruto let his drunken breath hit Sasuke’s ear. “Congradu-fucking-lations.” 

Sasuke’s eyes hit Naruto’s as he tried to turn himself around, but Naruto wouldn’t let him. Again, Naruto let his crotch do the dirty work. He thrusted against Sasuke’s clothed ass, hoping this light torture could act as payback for Sasuke, again, only thinking about himself. Naruto wanted to wait and see if Sasuke would even ask about his own meeting and the success he’d received. 

“Let up…” Sasuke exhaled, his eyes still locked on Naruto’s.

“Make me.” Naruto said, adding another thrust. He could feel his own body reacting to the friction in his pants now, though. Even if his heart was mad at Sasuke and his selfishness, he couldn’t stop his dick from responding to his movements. “Fuck…” Naruto let out as he thrusted again. His brief moment of distraction gave Sasuke the ability to flip himself around and push his body up to be flushed against Naruto’s chest again. This time, however, he grabbed the blonde’s wrists and pressed him back into the fridge, causing a few magnets to fall to the ground. 

Naruto grunted as he opened his eyes to look into Sasuke’s. Sasuke licked his lips as he stared at Naruto’s slightly parted ones. 

“Tomorrow…” Sasuke breathed out as he went in for another deep kiss. Naruto allowed it, unable to decide if he wanted to be turned on or be angry or be both. He let his aggressive nature deepen the kiss, their teeth clicking together in a frantic, desperate notion to get more than what was being given. 

Naruto broke apart. “What about tomorrow?” His eyes were still closed, as he tried to free himself from Sasuke’s grip. Sasuke responded by spreading Naruto’s legs apart, so they could each feel the other’s arousal. Naruto couldn’t keep his head on straight. He didn’t understand what Sasuke was talking about and the Uchiha was so preoccupied with getting off that the blonde was unsure he’d get an answer to his question.

“S’ke—“ Naruto said, mid-groan as Sasuke applied more friction. The sound of Naruto sent Sasuke reeling as he pulled away to undo Naruto’s pants. Naruto looked down and shook his head.

“Sasuke—what’s tomorrow?” The blonde grabbed Sasuke’s hair and pulled it back so that he was looking up at him. Sasuke looked like a doll… a _sex_ doll. His mouth was open, his lips swollen and bruised, his face a warm pink shade, and his hair a messy, yet sexy disaster. Naruto wished he could just forget it all and fuck the man’s mouth, but he had a little more self control than that.

He watched as Sasuke fell back on his bum, leaning back on his arms. “I wanna fucking get married tomorrow.” 

Naruto’s eyes widened in complete shock.


	5. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! new chapter new chapter new chapter! THIS ONE IS AN EMOTIONAL ONE. You can guess what will happen pretty soon after this chapter. Fortunately we get to see Sasuke's POV with this, so if you have any questions regarding his total self centered nature, maybe this will give you clarity. obviously though, this is ANGST FILLED. just so you're warned. remember, this is a break up fic and there will be a happy ending, but it there's some tough shit we have to get through on the way.
> 
> enjoy! and tell me what you think! maybe how you think they'll break up too??

Sasuke sat on the floor looking up with blurry vision at his blonde lover gazing down at him. He shuffled himself back a bit, so that he could lean against the floor cupboard. He could barely keep himself focused on Naruto in front of him—he realized it as his bum had hit the floor a moment ago. After securing the merger and arriving back in Konoha, he’d briefed Itachi at work and then was brought out to a large celebration gathering at the expensive sushi restaurant down the street. It was considered a business dinner, paid for by the company, and so Itachi let everyone have their fill of food and drink. Sasuke had been shuffled many drinks through the night. He knew he was past his limit and the various different alcohols he’d consumed had sent him over the edge. Itachi recognized his state and had driven him home, but asked that he’d call him before he went to bed, so that he knew his younger brother was all right. Sasuke had yet to reach out to his brother because he immediately contacted Naruto once he’d gotten home. The one terrible thing about his drunken nature was that he became outrageously turned on. So much so, that it impeded his thought process and made him turn slightly radical. As he squinted his eyes to analyze Naruto’s facial expression, he realized his radical side might’ve come out. However, being beyond reason at this point, he stuck to his guns and pushed his suggestion forward as if it was a completely normal thing to have suggested.

“Naruto—talk to me.” Sasuke was able to get at least that out. As he matched Naruto’s stare, he couldn’t subdue his arousal. He tried to stand back up so at least he could face the man he loved on equal ground, but was struggling. He noted Naruto wasn’t helping him either, which was odd. He subjected himself back to the ground, not wanting to look pitiful in his attempts. Part of him was mad at himself for bringing up the wedding, which happened to be a touchy subject, but he couldn’t help it. He was done with the waiting. He’d put Naruto through it long enough and, after this major boost of ego and confidence at work, the only thing left to secure his best friend and his lover. It was all he could think about at the moment. Sure, a quick elopement would be against what Naruto and him had originally envisioned, but at least they’d finally be married. Maybe when his life slowed down a bit they could renew their vows in aformal way. Right now, though, his patience had reached the end of its stick… He wanted to wed the blonde idiot. He was afraid if he didn’t do it now, they’d never get the chance. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of being “just engaged” for life.

Sasuke waited and watched as Naruto inhaled as if he was going to speak. _God…_ He needed to focus on what Naruto was going to say. Even though focusing on his mouth was not helping the heat rising through his system. 

“I’m—Sasuke… I’m confused.” It seemed as though whatever alcohol was littering Naruto’s body had suddenly dissolved. The man looked and talked as if he was stone, cold sober. Did Sasuke’s suggestion rattle him that much? 

“Why? I wanna marry you, idiot.” Sasuke slurred. 

Naruto looked away. “Stop calling me idiot.” 

Sasuke stuck his hand out as if to brush away the comment. “Don’t you want to marry me?” He said in response. 

Naruto gulped. “Yes—I mean… I thought—“

Sasuke eyed him. He wasn’t expecting Naruto to be thinking too much about the question. In fact, he posed it as something rhetorical. Of course Naruto wanted to marry him. Nothing had shown him otherwise. 

“Huh?” Sasuke muttered. 

“Why the sudden outburst, Sasuke? So, you’re saying you want to… What, elope?” Naruto, being the spontaneous, romantic person he usually was, should’ve loved this idea. It was right up his alley. A bout of heated passion that lead to a wedding on a whim. It was out of a romance novel, right? 

“I wanna marry you.” Sasuke repeated, frustrated that he even had to. He braced himself on the ground, pushing his body forward, almost tripping over his feet and crashing into Naruto. The blonde held out his arms to brace himself for impact, but Sasuke just leaned back to match Naruto’s body language. Now, facing each other, Sasuke felt he could have this discussion with Naruto. Even though, he’d rather just fuck out all their feelings. Sasuke was better at showing his lover his thoughts and emotions, while Naruto preferred to talk it out. 

“Yeah, I heard you already.” Naruto tossed out, looking away. Sasuke could hear the sigh leave his mouth, which ticked him off.

“Why are you huffing?” Sasuke barked back, a bit aggressive. “Why are you acting all up in arms about it?” Again, the Uchiha tried to focus his energy on the blonde, but was finding it difficult. He didn’t want to come off looking too drunk because he knew Naruto would use it against him. 

“I’m just a little thrown off, that’s all. You’ve been talking so much about the wedding lately that it’s starting to feel forced.” Naruto explained, crossing his arms. What was he talking about? Naruto had been on his case for the last year or more about planning the wedding. He was itching to start planning. And now that Sasuke was finally talking about it so openly it is deemed as _forced?_ In what regard? He loved his fiancé. He wanted to make sure they were married. Who cares how it’s done?

“I’m talking about it because you’ve been on my case. I’m giving you what you want!” Sasuke swayed a bit as he let his emotions overtake him. He didn’t break eye contact though. He wasn’t weak enough. 

Naruto’s face scowled. “Huh? What _I_ want?” 

“Yeah, who else would I be getting married for?” Sasuke said, confused.

“How about _yourself_?” Naruto’s voice was harsh. He seemed taken aback by Sasuke’s disregard for his own feelings. The man was missing the point though. 

“What are you talking about? Of course, I’m getting married for myself too. You’re not making any sense.” Sasuke pushed himself off the counter and gripped the collar or Naruto’s shirt, pressing their bodies together in a quick, efficient motion. “Stop getting mad at me because I love you and want to give you everything you want.” 

“Everything I want?” Naruto whispered back, incredulously. 

“Yes.” Sasuke said, leaning forward. He was trying to read Naruto’s mental state, but he couldn’t. All he could do was focus on his own, which was telling him to drop the conversation and continue in their heated sexual interaction. Thankfully, he was still aroused enough that he could bounce back into it rather quickly. Hopefully, Naruto would follow suit. And so, Sasuke yanked Naruto’s collar forcefully, to close their distance, but, with Naruto’s sly movement, they ended up knocking foreheads. Sasuke stumbled back, releasing his grip on Naruto.

“Fuck, Naruto…” Sasuke slammed himself into the counter he was originally leaning against. 

“I wasn’t done talking.” Naruto replied.

“Now, I’m fucking drunk and I have a fucking concussion.” Sasuke rubbed his temples, begging his body to not give him a migraine and a hangover the next day.

“Don’t be dramatic.” Naruto pushed back. 

A silence lingered in the kitchen as Sasuke continued to rub his temples. He could feel Naruto’s eye’s on him and it was confusing. He didn’t understand what he had said wrong to make Naruto react so radically. He was doing what he felt was right. Since when should he not be wanting to marry his lover? He couldn’t get a read on what Naruto was expecting him to say.

“You said you weren’t done talking, but you’re sure quiet.” Sasuke bit out. He turned around towards the sink and grabbed a clean glass, filling it with tap water. He chugged down most of it, slamming the glass back down. His back was to Naruto, but as he heard the man begin to speak, he slowly turned back around to face him.

“I don’t think you even know what I want anymore. When have I ever said that I wanted to elope?” Naruto asked, but Sasuke didn’t respond. “Yeah, it would be nice for us to get married finally, but I want my family to be there… I want your family to be there… We have friends and coworkers and… There’s things that make that day special outside of just the legal document that binds us together.” Naruto said. His voice was controlled, but Sasuke could feeling the tension rising in the other man’s body. Naruto had a tough time keeping his feelings in check, so this view was new.

“Why does that shit matter to you? Weddings are a waste of money anyway…” Sasuke shrugged at the blunt confession, not catching the wave of anger flooding into Naruto’s soft, blue eyes.

“Is that what it is?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked up. “Is that what what is?” 

“It’s about the money?” A bead of sweat dripped down Naruto’s cheek. Sasuke took a moment just eyeing him before talking back.

“Stop trying to change this around, Naruto.” Sasuke responded, in an exhaled breath.

“Change what around? I’m just calling you out on what you’re saying.” 

Sasuke’s anger was also starting to rise. “Of course it’s not all about the money. I’m just saying, you know, if you want to get married then let’s just fucking get married and worry about whether or not we have a formal wedding after the fact!”

“What are you even saying right now?”

“I’m saying I want to marry you! Again! Why am I repeating myself like some idiot?” Sasuke was practically yelling at this point. He hated validating his own emotional state so plainly, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like he was trying to reason with a brick wall. 

“I love you and therefore I want to marry you. Why do we need to add all the bells and whistles? So you can post about it on your social media?” Sasuke had turned to belittling the man. It wasn’t a road he was proud to take, but he couldn’t stop it. He was losing himself in his frustrations and he could tell the blonde was doing the same. 

“God, you’re a fucking tool, you know that?” Naruto mumbled, pushing himself off the fridge and leaving the kitchen. Sasuke caught the tail end of his body walking past the door frame, but wasn’t going to let this end so easily. And while all of his arousal had currently left his body, he didn’t want to end the night like this. He needed to talk some sense into the blonde. 

As the entered into the living room, Naruto spun around. “Stop following me.” 

“It’s my apartment too. I can go where I want.” Sasuke said.

Naruto sat on the couch. “You’re a child.”

“You’re one to speak.” Sasuke immediately responded, standing in front of the TV. Sasuke’s vision was finally clear enough so that he could see Naruto and read him. He could tell the man was beyond frustrated, but so was the Uchiha. He could see that not all had been said either. Even though Naruto had been trying to end their conversation, he still had more to say. Sasuke didn’t know if he would say it though. He expected Naruto to fight it out until he couldn’t anymore—that’s what he always used to do. Key word: _used_. Naruto had been less and less inclined to entertain their regular disagreements. It weighed heavy on Sasuke.

As he glanced over Naruto’s features… His golden hair, his bright, blue eyes, his taught figure… Everything about him was all Sasuke could have ever wanted in his life. He didn’t enjoy seeing how the once very open man had suddenly closed himself off. Why was that? Why wasn’t Naruto willing to drop everything and marry him? The stirring of anger within Sasuke was now tainted with sadness. He hated that they were arguing over something so petty… Well, maybe their marriage wasn’t petty, but… It wasn’t like Sasuke was saying he didn’t want to marry the man. In fact, it was the complete opposite. He couldn’t wait to.

“Naruto…” Sasuke managed to let out, casting the blonde’s attention to him. “I don’t understand what I am saying wrong. I want to marry you now, rather than later… I want to make you happy… I want to…” Sasuke didn’t know how else to explain himself. He thought he’d been clear. Why was Naruto acting as if this idea was the largest obstacle he’d ever faced?

Sasuke waited for Naruto to speak. It felt like he’d been standing there, quiet, for at least ten minutes. Naruto watched as Naruto’s eyes focused on things for a long period of time and his mouth moved slightly, like he was planning what to say. He was thinking hard and it showed. Finally, he looked up at Sasuke.

“How many times have we talked about our wedding, Sasuke?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked away, briefly, but then returned his gaze. “I don’t know. Too many to count, probably.” 

Naruto nodded. “And in all of those discussions, do you remember the one thing I said I needed. I didn’t care about anything else… I just wanted one thing.” 

Sasuke gulped. He felt like he knew the answer, but if he said it out loud, it would be over. Everything would come crashing down on him and he’d look like the fucker who just glossed over it as if it meant nothing.

“Sasuke?” Naruto was demanding him to answer though. He couldn’t shrug it off. Even if he did that, it wouldn’t be helping his situation any more. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. Sasuke jumped a bit, not expecting anyone to be calling him this late. His hand reached over the pocketed phone as he sighed. He really wasn’t sure how he was supposed to answer a call now anyway—not in the middle of such a heavy conversation. However, as the vibrations continued, he watched as Naruto’s eye’s slowly drifted down and away, breaking the contact. Sasuke couldn’t tell if Naruto knew he was going to pick up or not, but as Sasuke pulled out his phone and saw the name, Itachi, he answered it. 

“Itachi?” Sasuke asked into his end of the phone. 

_“Sasuke, I thought you would call me again to let me know you were all right.”_ Itachi’s voice was reserved, but still concerned that he hadn’t heard from Sasuke in about an hour or so. 

“I’m obviously fine. You dropped me off.” Sasuke said, his voice hurried, as he saw Naruto’s body language shift into indifference. 

_“You were all over the place, Sasuke. I didn’t realize how much you drank.”_ Itachi said.

“Well, I’m fine now. I’m going to bed.” Sasuke said.

_“Is Naruto there with you? I didn’t see him when I dropped you off.”_ Itachi asked, lingering on the phone call longer than Sasuke would’ve liked.

“Yes, he is. I’ve got to go.” Sasuke said. He felt his heart rate picking up speed. It looked like Naruto was done with the conversation and even if Sasuke needed to talk to him more, he didn’t know if Naruto would oblige. 

_“Sasuke—“_ But the younger Uchiha cut him off.

“I’ll see you on Monday.” Sasuke abruptly hung up the phone and turned it off. He didn’t want any more random interruptions. He then threw it to the side—a physical display to show that Naruto now had his undivided attention.

“Sorry… What did you ask?” Sasuke knew he shouldn’t have forgotten, but his mind was still a little hazy.

Naruto lifted his hooded eyes to catch Sasuke’s dark orbs. Sasuke couldn’t understand what he saw in them, but it wasn’t familiar. Everything felt out of his grasp all of the sudden, but it wasn’t his fault that Itachi called. He couldn’t ignore his brother, even Naruto knew that.

“It doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?” Naruto grumbled, shifting to lean his head back on the couch. Sasuke took a deep breath as he just looked at Naruto. Even if the man was angry with him, he couldn’t help but love everything about him. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I said or—“ Sasuke tried to fix it all, but it backfired.

“That might be the issue then.” Naruto said, still not looking at him. “You not even knowing what you said or what you did… It’s a huge issue, Sasuke.” 

“Are we still talking about the wedding?” Sasuke tried to rack his brain for what they had been talking about only five minutes prior, but his memory was not cooperating. 

Naruto chuckled, but it wasn’t filled with happiness. “I hate this shit.”

“You hate what?” Now, what was he talking about? 

Naruto sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”

Sasuke took a step forward, securing his stance as one of dominance. “Yes, it does. I’m sorry my brother called, but… We aren’t done talking, so—“

“Then why’d you answer the call?” Naruto lifted his head.

“I can’t just ignore my brother.”

“Why not?” 

Naruto’s fight was slowly coming back, but Sasuke wasn’t sure he enjoyed seeing this dismissive, careless side of the blonde. Normally, the man had passion in his fight. This felt oddly empty of that.

“He wouldn’t have stopped calling if I hadn’t answered.” Sasuke said.

“He’s not a maniac. He would’ve probably thought you were just asleep.” 

“Why does this even matter?” 

“Because we were in the middle of a fucking conversation and you answered your phone so you could tell your brother you were going to bed!” Naruto spat.

“Okay, well, I’m off the phone now, so let’s continue the fucking conversation. It’s simple as that.” Sasuke responded with just the same amount of frustration. 

“Fine. Answer the question then.” Naruto asked, his fingers reaching and then tightening into fists on the couch cushion. Sasuke’s face grimaced. He vaguely remembered the question and also the reason why he didn’t want to answer it. He’d fought for the conversation to continue though, so he gave the blonde the response.

“Family. You want family there.”

It hurt for Sasuke to say it out loud. Even though marrying Sasuke was Naruto’s priority, he’d been adamant about family being there as well. He wasn’t an extravagant person by any means. But Naruto saw the wedding as something that would be celebrated between close family. Since Naruto’s family and home life had been almost nonexistent growing up, he put a lot of emphasis on those familial bonds. He’d grown attached to Sasuke’s family as well, even if it just consisted of Itachi and Sasuke's uncle Shisui, and couldn’t wait to officially be a part of it. 

Naruto took a moment, nodding. “At least you listened a little bit.”

“I always listened.” Sasuke defended himself.

“Well, if that’s the case, then you wouldn’t have suggested a random elopement.”

Sasuke sighed, he couldn’t help but respond in a sour tone.

“Sorry for suggesting we finally get married. Should I also apologize for proposing in the first place?” Sasuke caught Naruto rolling his eyes in disbelief. 

“Seriously, Sasuke?” Naruto leaned forward, cupping his face in his hands. 

“What? It seems like nothing I ever do or say is right when it comes to you.Even my apologies are lackluster. I’m not sure how to navigate this anymore to be honest.” Sasuke mumbled, his voice still carrying that bitter tone, as if to prompt Naruto’s anger to return.

“ _Anymore_? What’s that supposed to mean?” Naruto responded.

Sasuke was the one who rolled his eyes this time. “You say you want to get married, I suggest we get married. You say you want to talk it out, I try to talk it out. You say I don’t listen, but I prove to you that I do. No matter how many times I give and give and give, you don’t think it’s enough and challenge me on it all. I’ve done everything I was supposed to do. I even helped you when your bookstore was heading towards the shitter. What else am I supposed to do? Whatever it is—It’s still not enough!” Sasuke was out of breath by the end of his speech. He felt at a loss. He truly believed that what he was saying was exactly what he needed to say. Even Naruto was a little struck by the words that left his mouth. He couldn’t tell if the blonde would have anything to say in response, but if he didn’t, that was good. Then they could apologize, clear the air, and go to bed—something Sasuke felt he would need to do fairly soon. It was as if his hangover was coming on earlier than he’d wanted it to.

His eyes were glued onto Naruto, who felt silent. Maybe Sasuke would actually win this round. Maybe they could just calm down… If they stopped in their stubborn ways, maybe they’d be able to have fruitful conversation.

“Whatever…” Sasuke felt his legs give out as he crashed onto the chair beside the TV. He didn’t know what Naruto would say, and, even though his eyes were stuck on the blonde’s, he couldn’t be bothered trying to read his emotional state. He was tired. These types of draining arguments with Naruto only were beneficial if they had make up sex. For some reason, it didn’t feel like they were headed in that direction. However, Sasuke didn’t want to go to bed angry. He didn’t want them to sleep separately. He didn’t want to let their argument get the better of them.

“I don’t know what else I can say.” Sasuke tried to put an end to their conversation. He was hoping Naruto would apologize, or do something similar… He wanted to put this behind them. One of the biggest nights of his life had now been ruined because of a petty argument about how they were supposed to get marriage. It felt shitty to be awake and living in the moment still. 

“And I’m tired.” It felt as though Sasuke was just talking to himself, since Naruto wasn’t engaging.

He looked up at the blonde, who was pensive. “Naruto?”

Naruto looked up finally. “Hm?” 

“I don’t want to argue anymore.” Sasuke said.

Naruto only nodded. Sasuke, with all of his strength, pulled himself out of the chair and started to head towards the bedroom. He looked at Naruto, who was still on the couch. 

“You know…” Naruto started, causing Sasuke to stop walking. He couldn’t see the blonde’s face anymore and was staring at the back of his head. Naruto didn’t make an effort to have eye contact either.

Sasuke could tell he was thinking about something. He didn’t know what it could be though. The argument had ended and while they didn’t really reach any specific conclusion, he knew Naruto wouldn’t continue past what had already been said. Sasuke rubbed his temples again, feeling the thumping in his head and knowing what it meant. He’d be lucky if he’d fall asleep tonight. His migraines—over the last year—had been unbearable. 

“I…” Sasuke focused back on Naruto. “I am happy that you secured that merger. Truly.” 

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. Relief flooded through him as he felt sure that whatever him and Naruto argued about, they’d always be able to resolve it. Even if they didn’t see eye to eye sometimes, Naruto still supported him and was able to be happy in his career ventures. It made Sasuke’s headache dwindle away slightly. 

“Come to bed…” Sasuke reached out his arm to lightly touch Naruto’s shoulder, but the blonde didn’t respond in his movements.

“I’ll be there in a bit.” For some reason, Sasuke didn’t want to let go of Naruto. He felt that—if he did—he’d lose his hold on him. Not just physically, but emotionally. He knew it wasn’t the case. However, he couldn’t help but let that negative feeling filter through him for a moment. It felt like fear.

But Sasuke lifted his hand from Naruto and made his way to the bedroom, hoping the blonde would join him soon.

* * *

Sasuke sprung up, far too early in the morning. He looked over at his clock on the bed side table and saw that it was 6:30 AM. “Fuck…”

Sasuke held the side of his head. He must’ve passed out ridiculously quick. It made sense though. After being so emotionally drained, but also physically depleted of any strength, if he hadn’t passed out, he would’ve been awake all night. He looked down at his hand and remembered the warmth that surged through it a few hours ago when he’d touched Naruto before heading to bed.

“Naruto.” Sasuke said as he turned to the side to see the blonde, but was surprised to notice him not there. He touched the bed and it was cold. All of the leftover warmth that was held in his hand disappeared into the cold, untouched bedding beside him. Naruto hadn’t slept there that night. 

Sasuke slipped out from under the covers and walked out into the living room to see Naruto slumped over on the arm rest, his feet still planted on the ground. He’d fallen asleep sitting up. Sasuke stared at him. He couldn’t articulate the emotions he felt… Except, the longer he stared, the more he recognized one of the emotions. It was one he felt promptly after releasing Naruto the night before.

Fear.


	6. Writing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone to a new chapter! This one is on the longer side. It's not absurd, but I had some trouble figuring out where to end it. The next chapter will pick up immediately where this one left off. I felt this one was long enough. Anyway! We have some Itachi in this and some Hinata in this so get ready! I enjoyed writing this chapter and I'm really digging the NaruHina aspect.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts and everything! I love hearing your predictions and your fears for the coming chapters!
> 
> ENJOY!

Naruto woke up to the smell of bacon being fried in the kitchen. He sat up from his slouched sleeping position and rubbed the back of his neck. He must’ve passed out on the couch—the pain throbbing in his stiff backside clued him in on that. He _did_ have every intention of making it to the bedroom the night before, but he had wanted to properly cool down before he did, which, unfortunately, never happened. Once Sasuke had left for the bedroom after their argument, Naruto had been boiling with anger. He felt at a loss for it too. He didn’t know where or at who he could direct the anger because he couldn’t discern with whether he was angry at Sasuke for being a complete narcissist, or himself for just putting up with it for too long now. He had made himself think of the reasons why he loved the Uchiha—and there were many: He loved his drive, he loved his bluntness, he loved his flirtatious behavior, he loved how open he was with Naruto versus everybody else, he loved his wood sage/lavender cologne, he loved how attractive he was—how dark his eyes were… But even with all of these loves, he kept thinking of reasons why it wasn’t good enough. Naruto admired Sasuke. He had ever since they met. There was something about how cool and strong he was that Naruto felt it balanced his outgoing and laid-back self. They fit together like a glove, or at least they used to. Now, Naruto was unsure if he could say they were perfect for each other. Yes, they’d been through their ups and downs, had always supported the other, and stuck it out through the toughest of times, but it felt as though their relationship had plateaued. He wanted that lifestyle that was once filled with unabashed, fearless passion to return, but maybe it was all wishful thinking. He knew that—once you were with someone long enough—life wouldn’t be in those honeymoon stages anymore. Reality was harsh and Naruto tended to aspire to live in a dream-like world, while Sasuke stuck to logic. 

Naruto fell back a bit on the couch. He didn’t know if what he was longing for made sense. From the outside, their relationship was like any other. They might’ve been engaged a bit too long, but everyone had struggles every now and then. Other than that, Naruto and Sasuke went to events together, had dinner together, talked with their peers about the other, were open in their communication most of the time… What else could Naruto ask for?

He sighed. Maybe Sasuke had been right. Maybe Sasuke _was_ giving and Naruto _wasn’t_ giving back. He didn’t remember the last time he’d said he loved Sasuke, while Sasuke tended to express that emotion to him frequently. Sasuke seemed more ready to get married than the blonde did as well. Maybe he needed to compromise… He still did love Sasuke… Right?

“Of course I do…” Naruto mumbled to himself, but loud enough for Sasuke to hear him. The dark haired man poked his head around the side of the kitchen door frame to look at Naruto.

“‘Morning.” Sasuke said, his morning voice still rough. That was another thing Naruto loved about him…

Naruto smiled, briefly, tilting his head to look over at Sasuke who was holding eye contact with him. Neither knew what to say right now and, for some odd reason, it made Naruto want to cry. Sasuke was well aware that Naruto hadn’t joined him in bed the night before. It was written on his face—the hurt, the fear. He probably thought the blonde was still mad, which he was, but it’s not like he wanted to be.

“Sorry, I—“ Naruto began, but was cut off.

“Don’t worry about it.” Sasuke disappeared back into the kitchen. “I made breakfast.” He called out. Naruto felt his breath hitch as he stared at the space that Sasuke had just vacated. A tingling sensation reached the inner corners of his eyes and his nose. Was he actually going to cry?

“I can smell it.” Naruto called back, inhaling deeply. Naruto wanted to talk about their argument—to resolve it— but he also didn’t have the energy. He didn’t enjoy the emptiness that came with “giving up.” He didn’t like saying, “giving up” either. It didn’t sound right when it left his mouth or invaded his thoughts. Was that what he felt? What about Sasuke? He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the negativity. So, he stood up and made his way to the kitchen. He leaned against the frame to watch as Sasuke, wearing a loosely tied apron, scooped some eggs and bacon onto two separate plates. He looked at peace. He must’ve slept soundly. But there was tension between them. It made Naruto’s insides twist. He clutched the sides of his pants in an effort to refrain from releasing the emotions he’d bottled up.

“You want coffee?” Sasuke asked, looking over, and Naruto nodded, turning away to hide his watery eyes.

The two found their seats at the small dining table they had. The sun from the morning filtered in casting a subdued light onto their meal. It was hazy and had an orange hue. It felt very warm, which contrasted how cold the two of them were in their relationship. 

They both started eating in silence. Naruto was always the one who started the conversation. It was his nature to fill the quiet with boisterous chatter. However, he didn’t know how much he should say right now, plus, he didn’t even know if he could speak. Sasuke hadn’t noticed how the emotions were leaking out of him. He didn’t even know if Sasuke was mad at him or… Maybe he was battling his own internal monologue. The tension made the air between them heavy. Perhaps if one of them started talking, it wouldn’t even reach the other. Were they that far apart? Naruto looked up at Sasuke, who was taking a bite of his eggs. He could feel his lungs shudder as he inhaled. He couldn’t place why the emotion was hitting him so hard. But the longer he looked at Sasuke, the more his chest felt constricted—with pleasure and with pain. 

Sasuke looked up, but his brows immediately furrowed and his eyes darted to Naruto’s hand. Naruto, following Sasuke’s gaze, noticed that the hand holding his chopsticks was shaking. His eyes lingered on it, trying to focus and make it stop.

“Are you okay?” Sasuke asked, softly.

Naruto didn’t know the reason for his shakes, so he just chuckled—covering it up. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Sasuke watched him, which didn’t help to get his nerves under control. It was as if his body and mind knew something before Naruto consciously did. He felt… nervous and scared all of the sudden. All of those thoughts he’d had since waking up burdened his mind. He didn’t want that to show though. His mental state became overwhelmed. Both of them knew he’d had issues with panic attacks before, when he was younger, but he’d been free of them for years. 

“You’re shaking.” Sasuke stated, placing his chopsticks down, recognizing the need for concern.

“I’m fine. I slept out on the couch and I’m just cold.” Naruto kept staring at his hand, his eyes swelling from not blinking. He felt his palms beginning to sweat and his pupils trembling in the hardcore focus. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Why was this happening?

“Naruto?” Naruto didn’t even hear that Sasuke had gotten up and sat down beside him, placing his own hand over Naruto’s shaking one. Naruto realized his own heartbeat was echoing in his ears and a case of tinnitus was offsetting his balance. He took another deep breath, letting his eyes drift back to his hand to see Sasuke’s now instead of his own. 

“I’m fine, Sasuke.” He said, as Sasuke wiped his fallen tear.

“I can tell that you’re not.” Sasuke replied, trying to capture the blonde’s blue eyes, but Naruto didn’t need to burst. One look and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep the stability in his body language. He took a deep breath. Sure, he was having a small, subconscious panic type feeling throbbing through his limbs, but it was far from his true panic attacks he’d used to get. 

Naruto moved his hand out from under Sasuke’s, took another deep breath and then looked back at him, focused. He didn’t want to give this tremor and these heavy thoughts the time of day. Whatever negative feelings that were causing this physical display weren’t necessary. He knew he’d have to deal with them sooner or later, but, for now, he just wanted to eat and forget about it all.

“See?” Naruto held up his hand. “I’m not lying. I’m fine.”

Sasuke shifted back—not entirely persuaded—but unable to argue with the evidence that Naruto’s hand had, in fact, stopped shaking. 

“Are you sure?” Sasuke asked, and Naruto nodded, picking up a bite of his bacon.

Sasuke broke his gaze from the blonde and sighed. He could tell that he wanted to comfort Naruto, but he didn’t want to drag something out that wasn’t welcome. Naruto felt a wave of relief hit him, causing yet another tear to fall down his cheek, which he quickly turned his head to swipe away. He figured that the silence of their meal wasn’t really helping him in any way. He needed to new topic to occupy his mind, something to distract him from the pain he was subconsciously enduring and unable to control. 

“How’d you sleep?” Naruto changed the subject off of himself.

Sasuke lingered on him for a moment, but then got back up to return to his seat to finish his breakfast.

“Fine. I guess.” Sasuke mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee. “I’m sorry about last night.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. For the first time, in quite awhile, Sasuke seemed fairly genuine in his apology. At first, he never used to apologize, then he found routine in doing so because it helped end their arguments or forgive each other. However, those felt empty and shallow. This was a new emotion Sasuke was breaching. It was shocking. 

“I was thinking about everything I said to you and how I acted and it wasn’t—I’m not proud.” Sasuke took another sip of coffee, lifting his eyes to Naruto’s, who was staring at him blankly.

“The truth is—“ Sasuke stopped, putting his mug of coffee down. His eyes darted back and forth. He was in search of what to say. But he let the silence linger for too long and Naruto felt his brows crease in worry.

“The truth is what?” Naruto prompted. Sasuke blinked a few times, returning his mind to the present, and leaned back in his chair.

“I—don’t know. Never mind.” Quickly after that statement, Sasuke picked up his half-finished plate of food and moved to the kitchen to rinse it off. Naruto felt the gust of wind slap him in the face as Sasuke returned to the dining room and whizzed past him. 

“Sorry, I have to go into the office today.” Sasuke blurted out. He continued on towards the bedroom to change. Naruto stood up and called out to him at the end of the hallway.

“It’s a Saturday, though.” Naruto opened the store later on the weekend to give himself and his staff a break. They had reduced hours, which wasn’t bad because a majority of their business happened in the afternoon. Naruto liked to spend as much time with Sasuke as he could, since he knew the Uchiha tended to try and take his weekends off. 

Sasuke re-emerged from the bedroom dressed in a business casual attire. He hadn’t even showered, but he still smelled amazing. The sent drifted into Naruto’s nostrils as Sasuke walked by him again.

“I have to go over all the paperwork regarding the merger with Itachi and then select our new Tokyo team.” Sasuke responded, filling a tumbler full of coffee.

“Are you a part of that Tokyo team?” Naruto asked.

“Undecided. I’m heading the merger though, alongside Sakura. So, maybe.”

“Sakura?” 

“She’s the head of Haruno Enterprises. They’re the company we’re merging with.”

“Oh, right.” Naruto nodded, looking down. “When will you be home?”

“Don’t you have work today?” Sasuke asked, sealing the tumbler’s lid and taking a sip.

“Yeah, but… I’m the boss so… I can come and go as I please.”

Sasuke chuckled. “I’m looking forward to that, but for myself.” He headed to the door, grabbing his coat and keys. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, probably before dinner.”

Naruto nodded. “I’ll see you later then?” 

Sasuke smiled and went on his way, leaving Naruto alone in the apartment. He touched the side pockets of his pants, feeling around for his phone. His eyes scanned the counters of the apartment, locating it on the coffee table. He picked it up and noticed he had a missed call from Hinata and a voicemail.

He tilted his head, confused a bit. He then listened to it.

_(Hinata) Hey, Naruto. I wanted to thank you again for the meal the other day. I left it feeling excited and overwhelmed with ideas for how we can make this expansion work. While I was thinking about everything though, I’d realized I’d never seen your book store in the first place! I think—in order for me to really grasp what it is you’re selling—I should check it out. I know it’s super last minute, but mind if I drop by today? It doesn’t have to be formal or anything. We can just talk some more and you can show me around! I hope this reaches you well. Feel free to call or text me back._

The phone beeped, signaling the end of the voicemail. Almost immediately, that weight and heaviness Naruto had been feeling all morning disappeared. He jumped up and headed straight for the bedroom. If Sasuke was going to work his ass off, so was Naruto. He had a new , promising venture coming his way and he wasn’t going to fuck it up. As he hopped in the shower, he realized he was still smiling. He couldn’t even remember why he’d almost had a panic attack earlier… It was a feeling he couldn’t fathom to recognize. 

* * *

Itachi and Sasuke were sitting at a large, conference table with papers strewn out all over the place. Itachi pulled up a few names on his computer in front of him and glanced at Sasuke who was buried in his own world.

“So, it’s decided then?” Itachi asked. “I’ve got Karin and Suigetso as our heads of development, Juugo from accounting… I think we should also tack on Kabuto as our head analyst. A majority of our other jobs can be outsourced through the Tokyo office.”

Sasuke nodded without looking up. “And everyone you mentioned is all right with their transfer?” 

“Karin and Suigetso kept nagging me about it, so, I’d assume they’d be more than happy to transfer. Juugo stated his indifference, but he’ll do what needs to be done for the company. Knowing his quick turnaround with checks and paperwork, I think Tokyo would better suit him. Haven’t talked with Kabuto directly yet, but he’s one of the smartest analysts in the company. Being the head of that department would be very appealing to him. Don’t you think?” 

Throughout Itachi’s speech the younger Uchiha continued to nod. Sasuke’s mind was not listening to Itachi though. His eyes were currently scrolling through a gossip column from some cheap, lowly pop culture website. In the article, a blurry image of Sasuke and Sakura leaving the restaurant/hotel they’d had their meeting at was front and center. Sasuke wasn’t out of touch with the fact that he was in the spotlight often—no thanks to his brother’s rapid popularity in the industry and their combined good looks. However, adding Sakura on top of that… He’d have to expect that the spotlight was about to get much larger. Sakura, the more Sasuke had researched her, was obviously sought out by magazines for reasons beyond her business. She was a hot ticket item. She’d been approached by a TV network to host her own show at one point—something she shrugged off so casually when it’d been brought up—but she turned it down because she said she “didn’t care for that type of attention.” Sasuke wasn’t sure what that meant, but seeing this article he started to understand. They were both young. They were both attractive. They were both heads of business’s. The world was going to speculate about them. It seemed to have started already with this extensive, yet highly theorized article about how the “pink-haired bachelorette” was seen courting the “mysterious, younger Uchiha.” For once, Sasuke didn’t skim the article. He read it thoroughly.

“Sasuke?” Itachi pulled Sasuke out of his focused reading. “What are you thinking?” Itachi could tell that Sasuke’s mind was elsewhere.

“Anything important?” He prodded further.

Sasuke took one last glance at the article, before shutting his laptop. “I agree with everything you said, Itachi.” 

The two stared at each other for a moment, before Itachi just smiled, gathering up some of the papers in front of him to organize the space. 

“Then we’ll move forward with them.” Itachi looked up at Sasuke, continuing to pack up. “How about you?”

Sasuke, about to open his laptop again, stopped. “What do you mean?” 

“Will you be making your way to Tokyo along our newly selected team?” The question was simple, but Sasuke knew that—for both him and Itachi—there was more to this than it seemed.

“I haven’t thought much about it yet.” Sasuke confessed, trying to avert further discussion about it.

“I thought you’d be jumping head first into this opportunity.” Itachi responded.

“Well, I can’t just make decisions without—without thinking.” Sasuke covered.

Itachi nodded, then sighed. “You’re not very convincing.” 

“And you haven’t thought about it? You’ve been so keen on finding a way of taking over the company in some respect, now, you finally have the chance to do that, but on a larger scale and you’re… Unsure?” Itachi called him out. Sasuke couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Of course he’d thought about the situation and the importance of it. However, he couldn’t make this big of one without Naruto. Naruto’s store was here… In Konoha. What would the blonde say if Sasuke just forced them to move to Tokyo. Naruto would… What would he do?

“I’m not unsure. I’m just wondering how much of my time would need to be spent in Tokyo versus here. Konoha is still the main branch, Itachi.”

“True. But the merger is _your_ project. And the merger is meant to be situated in Tokyo.” Itachi responded, matter-of-factly. He’d stopped packing up his things and focused solely on Sasuke. He was analyzing every inch of Sasuke’s expression. It was unnerving. 

“You should at least be on the ground to supervise the entire transition. If you don’t see yourself fit to run that branch by the end of the move period, then we can do an outside hire.” Itachi commented. “Maybe Sakura would even be willing to take the reins for a while.”

Itachi’s suggestion bothered Sasuke. An outside hire? Itachi was very adamant about having trusted and loyal individuals in higher up roles within the company. And then Sakura? How much could Itachi belittle his own younger brother? Sasuke knew his words were never meant to make him feel inferior, but the lack of emotion Itachi held in his voice made them seem that way. 

Sasuke fought his way back into the game. “Of course I would be there for the entirety of the transition.”

Itachi eyed him, skeptically. “Which would be around 6 to 8 months. You know that, right?” 

Sasuke’s eyes never wavered though. Backing down from his brother was hardly an option he took. “I do.” 

Sasuke’s stare was daring Itachi to press further. He knew it wouldn’t work though. His brother based his questions off of his own intuition. It made Sasuke wonder what he was sensing that Sasuke wasn’t telling him.

“Do you not think I can do it?” Sasuke asked.

Itachi shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I think you’ll do well. I’m just worried about… Other areas of your life that might not do well.”

Sasuke stood up, frustrated. He loved his brother and how much he cared, looking after Sasuke and such. This was overstepping though. Sasuke was almost 30. He didn’t need to be questioned about his own stability. He was more than capable of excelling in his business and maintaining a relationship. 

“You don’t need to worry about it, Itachi. Why do you always have to butt into everything that I do and make me question it?” Sasuke spat out at him. He unconsciously formed fists at his side. He claimed to have stability, but whenever Itachi cornered him like this, he felt himself unravel. 

It had been one of the biggest weights on his shoulders too. He knew how protective Itachi was of Sasuke and he didn’t want to damn the man for that. His overprotection tended to be more damaging than beneficial though. Itachi had paved the way for Sasuke to live life easy, in both his career and his love life. For instance, Itachi had only dated one woman in his life, but she’d moved to America after high school for college and Itachi hadn’t met someone else to devote his time to. Once Sasuke had met Naruto in college, Itachi wanted to protect their relationship so much, he almost inserted himself into it. He didn’t take on another lover, because he didn’t want Sasuke to over exert himself in the workforce. He’d found love. And so, Itachi watched out for Naruto as well because he knew how much Sasuke and him loved each other. He did everything he thought he should’ve done, except his opinions regarding their relationship—especially as of late—had put more pressure on Sasuke. It wasn’t helping him find clarity. He knew Naruto was uncomfortable too. Sasuke tended to be closed off to Itachi’s questions, but Naruto opened up. Itachi could get the information needed to form an opinion and push Sasuke in the direction he felt he should go in.

“I’m trying to help you, Sasuke. This is a huge choice. Have you even talked with Naruto about it?” Itachi’s face had a bit more strain on it now. He could tell how Sasuke was putting up his walls, barring Itachi from coming inside. 

“I don’t need your help with this. _I’m_ the one in a relationship with Naruto. And _I’ll_ talk to him about it. We’ll figure it out. I’m going to Tokyo.” Sasuke said. It was finite. “And worry doesn’t look good on you.”

Itachi closed his eyes and relaxed his face, sitting back in his chair again. Sasuke packed up his things, wondering how he would breach this subject with Naruto. Once packed up, he headed to the door.

“What if he doesn’t want you to go?” Itachi asked.

Sasuke froze. He wanted to walk away without indulging Itachi with an answer. He wanted to so bad.

“We’ll figure it out.” Sasuke said, leaving the room. No matter what, he couldn’t say what he had wanted to. He wasn’t sure that Naruto would be willing to let Sasuke walk away for close to a year. He also wasn’t sure that Naruto would come if Sasuke suggested it. He needed to go to Tokyo though. He couldn’t back out from something so monumental in his career. Even if Itachi posed another option. He wanted his own success. Not the success his brother allowed him. Naruto understood the necessity for personal growth and success. Sasuke would never make Naruto abandon his own growth for selfish reasons. Sure, he’d challenge Naruto in business choices and risky deals, but it wasn’t out of spite or jealousy. He wanted Naruto’s path to success to be easy and fun. 

Sasuke sighed as he reached the elevator. Perhaps that was a trait he picked up from his brother. He didn’t think Naruto needed to do anything else. He created a business that fit his style. He improved the overall store immensely. With all of that success, why did he need to risk it all by expanding into another store or… 

“Shit…”

Sasuke’s eyes went wide and he felt his stomach drop. He’d forgotten to ask about Naruto’s meeting. 

* * *

Naruto was sat behind the desk reading an email from his guardian, Jiraiya. Behind him, Shikamaru, who had packed up everything for the day, gripped his shoulder and reading the email over it. The two were smiling. Every joke that Jiraiya made always landed, forcing the two coworkers to giggle. Supposedly, Jiraiya’s books were quite popular amongst women. Which, was obvious, half of those books were like self-help manuals for the sexually curious. But it also put emphasis on making love, not having sex. Jiraiya always said there was a difference between the two. 

“Who knew porn would be so mainstream?” Shikamaru shrugged, heading towards the exit. “Glad he’s doing well though.” He finished off.

“Yeah…” Naruto said, wistfully. Part of him wished he was traveling the world with Jiraiya. He’d never been too far outside of Japan. Jiraiya was in the city of love currently, i.e. Paris. Naruto could only imagine how beautiful and romantic the foreign city must be. 

“I’m gonna head out for the night. You cool with closing up?” Shikamaru asked.

“But of course. I’ve got to wait around for Hinata anyway.” Naruto said, catching the keys Shikamaru tossed his way. The two smiled at each other, before Shikamaru was on his way.

Naruto exited out of his email and leaned back in his chair. He looked at his phone, checking the time. Hinata hadn’t really specified when she’d be there, but Naruto had given her their hours when he’d called her back. They were only open for another 30 minutes, so Naruto hoped she’d make it in time. 

He stared at his computer again, now an empty screen. The store was empty, the sun having set and the day coming to an end. Naruto opened up a blank document and let it sit on his screen. He hadn’t written in so long. He couldn’t even remember the last thing he wrote. He admired Jiraiya for taking his interests and passions and manifesting it onto the page so seamlessly. Jiraiya tended to put a lot of time into his work, which, whenever Naruto had written, he’d be able to throw something onto the page quickly. His work wasn’t bad either. He remembered Jiraiya reading a short story he wrote once and getting a standing ovation from the man. Looking at the empty page tore at Naruto a bit. He let his fingers sit on the keyboard. He’d stopped writing once the book store started picking up and he couldn’t deny that he’d missed it. He was afraid that he’d lost inspiration though… 

He was run by his emotions. He had a hard time thinking logically while writing. Normally, whenever he felt the pulse to express himself in this way, he’d just pull out a journal, or his laptop, or his phone and just go crazy until he couldn’t manage anything else. The more he thought about it… It wasn’t as though he didn’t have inspiration or emotions he could tap into… He’d just suppressed them. He’d been so focused on other aspects of his life—Sasuke, the book store, his finances, being an adult in general, the wedding… He couldn’t help that the stress just took over his emotional and mental state. He’d given up on writing. He didn’t know if it was even in the cards for him anymore. He remembered Sasuke reading a few of his pieces and being _so_ supportive. Naruto was so surprised he gave the works to Sasuke to keep. He didn’t know what else he would do with them. He didn’t even know if Sasuke still had them now… Would it matter if he did? Should Naruto care if he did or not? They were stupid writing assignments. Naruto didn’t treasure them, why should Sasuke? 

Before he knew it, Naruto had written a paragraph and the bell to the front door was dinging. Naruto whipped his head to side to see Hinata and he just stared at her. Probably not the smoothest welcome.

“Naruto?” Hinata said in the softest, shiest voice. It was as if she walked in on him doing something embarrassing. He couldn’t help but notice the slight blush tint on her cheeks. Again, he questioned if it was make up or her face warming up to him.

Naruto shook his head. “Sorry. I—“

“You looked focused.” She said. “Should I let you get back to it?” 

Naruto stood up from his chair and walked to her. “No… I said I’d give you the grand tour and I plan on doing just that.”

She smiled at him and he lead her on the way. The started at the main floor area, which looked like any other book store. They weaved through the film books, screenplays, art books, biographies, sheet music, fiction, comic books/manga, illustration books, sci-fi, and so much more. Each aisle was decorated to match the style of books they contained. As they rounded a corner, they looked at the record and vinyl area, with leather lounge chairs and baskets filled with used and new records. The walls were decorated with signed posters of famous artists throughout the ages. It looked like a drug den for the music enthusiast. Naruto even told her that they thought about how they could sell weed once it became legal for recreational consumption. It would be the perfect addition to the music section.

They headed up the stairs together, tossing out ideas as Naruto showed her the individual vendor sections that were curated by Sai. It looked like a fantastical, yet modern art collector museum. Finally, they landed on Hinata’s paintings. The most expensive pieces they’d acquired, but easily the most beautiful.

“And so, that’s Talk Wordy For Me.” Naruto shrugged, his hands in his pockets. “Have you changed your mind about working with us at all?” 

“Hardly. I feel like when I walk around your store, I get an intimate look at you as a person.”

Naruto couldn’t help but smile. Again, Hinata knew how to make him feel validated. “I’m glad. It took a lot of effort to get this place to where it is now, but… If you are sold, then I did something right.” 

Hinata chuckled and nodded. By now, the store was closed and Naruto needed to lock up and head back to meet up with Sasuke for dinner. He felt his smile sink as that thought entered his mind. It was amazing how time seemed to fly by when he was with… 

“I’m gonna use the restroom and then I’ve got to lock up, but I’ll walk out with you and stuff. That cool? Sorry to cut our time so short.” Naruto explained, but Hinata only smiled and waved him off.

Naruto ran to the bathroom. He didn’t know what he was thinking about. It’s true that the time did fly by as he’d walked Hinata around the store, but it had nothing to do with her specifically. Whenever Naruto was engaged in something—something he was passionate about—the time went quicker. He couldn’t help but think his conversation with Hinata were just _easy_ though. He hadn’t felt that comfortable in a while… It wasn’t rare that he found connections with people, but there was something about Hinata’s openness, supportive nature, and faith in him that he couldn’t overlook. They barely knew each other—having spoken to each other for a total of four hours maybe? But, even with that, he was feeling her pillar of validation even more so than the one he constantly wanted it from.

When Naruto returned to the front desk, he spotted Hinata sitting behind it at his chair and staring at the screen. It confused him up until he realized what it was she was doing. He rushed over.

“Hinata!” As he reached her, finally, he saw his “diary entry” out in full display on the screen. Fuck. How fucking embarrassing. He didn’t think Hinata would laugh at him by any means, but he knew seeing so intimately into someone’s heart could feel uncomfortable. 

“I was just messing around. It probably sucks, to be honest.” He nervously, chuckled. Hinata turned to him, doe eyed. 

“You didn’t tell me you wrote.” She sounded surprised. 

“I don’t really. Anymore, that is. I used to write a lot, back in college and for a few years after, but then lost track of it as the store became my priority.” He said. All of it was true, except it was devoid of how he felt about it all. She caught that though.

“You don’t want to write anymore then?” She asked.

He chuckled again, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t think I’d be able to do both.” It was true, but not the whole truth.

Hinata looked back at the writing. “You’re good though.” She hit the print button on the top of the screen page and in just a minute the page was printed into a physical copy. She folded it up and then walked up to him.

“I know what we’re going to do.”

Naruto blinked. He couldn’t hide that her proximity made him slightly nervous. “What would that be?”

She smiled. “You’re going to start a publishing company. And we’re gonna publish your work.” 

Naruto’s jaw dropped and he stepped back. “Huh?” He couldn’t understand what she was suggesting. Publish his work? In what way? He didn’t write novels like Jiraiya. He didn’t write poems or lyrics… He wrote diary entries pretty much.

“Hear me out, Naruto. You’re young. You’re attractive. You’ve got a story. On top of that, when people look at you, they want to get to know you. You, just _you_ , sell.” She lifted up the folded piece of paper. “This is good. You make emotions visual and not overly complicated. I read this and—So, who’s the raven?” She asked, sidetracked.

Naruto felt his cheeks warm up and so he looked away to hide his embarrassment. 

“He’s…” He sighed. “My fiancé.” He peeked over at her, but she didn’t seem phased.

“He?”

Naruto nodded, which in turn, caused her to nod in understanding.

“So, that makes you the pebbles the raven uses to support his nest.”

Naruto nodded. “It sounds stupid out loud.”

Hinata shook her head. “Not to my ears.” She then walked past him to the exit. He turned around and looked at her. 

“Wordy Publishing. It’s got a tempting ring to it.” She smiled again. “Send me more of your work. Text me your work as you think of it. Even if you don’t think it’s good. An artist is always more critical of their own work than the work of others.”

Naruto nodded, unable to believe what Hinata was saying to him. “A publishing company…”

“Yeah. I think that’s what it should be.” Hinata and Naruto held eye contact for a moment, before the long haired woman broke their contact. “I thought you were going to walk me out with me.” 

Naruto jumped a bit. He shut off his computer and fumbled with the keys. He lead her out and then shut off the lights to his book store, before following her out to the sidewalk. He couldn’t believe how much of a turn the night had taken. He couldn’t complain though. He was feeling more inspiration to write than he’d had in years.

* * *

Sasuke powered around the next corner in his BMW, nearly trampling over some pedestrians on the sidewalk. As he reached the end of the street, he pulled over quickly. He couldn’t believe how much of an idiot he’d been the last few days. He was so self-absorbed that he’d forgotten everything Naruto had been doing to advance his own career. No wonder Naruto hadn’t joined him in the bed the night before. He was angry. The aftereffects of his frustration towards Sasuke probably lingered into their weird breakfast that morning as well.

Fuck. He slammed the steering wheel with his hand. He knew Naruto would say it wasn’t a big deal, but their relationship had been so touch and go recently, he was afraid that any misstep could send them spiraling. Walking on eggshells wasn’t fun, but it was better than not walking at all. 

Sasuke got out of his vehicle, locked it, and headed straight towards the bookstore. As he approached, he noticed the lights were off. He peered inside, wondering if Naruto was still in there. As he searched around, he couldn’t help but find the space a bit shocking. He hadn’t been to the book store in over a year or so. He’d been so caught up in his own work, he hadn’t made time to drop by and see the improvements. The space looked chaotic, but in a structured way. It was similar to how Naruto was as a person. It looked vintage, but clean. Cozy… Inviting… Fun… So many adjectives ran through his mind. He felt proud, just seeing what Naruto had accomplished. No wonder people were interested in expanding this further. He had something that no one else did. 

As Sasuke looked around the sidewalk, hoping to spot Naruto, he was able to catch a glimpse of the blonde hair rounding the corner at the opposite side of the street.

“Naruto!” Sasuke yelled, his deep voice echoing into the night air. 

The blonde blob of hair stopped and looked back, but a smaller person beside him also looked. Who was that? Sasuke was pretty sure he’d never seen that person before, but he couldn’t tell.

He made his way over to Naruto and, as he quickly approached, he realized who Naruto’s companion was. She was definitely a Hyuuga, so… All signs pointed to Hinata Hyuuga.

“Sasuke, what are you doing here?” Naruto asked, confused.

Immediately, Sasuke put his hand around Naruto’s waist. “I wanted to pick you up. Can’t I do that?”

Naruto, still confused, looked over at Hinata and then back at Sasuke. “I didn’t know you’d—Why didn’t you call or something?”

“To surprise you.” He said, pulling Naruto in tighter. However, it was obvious Naruto was unsure how he felt about the public display of affection.

“You must be Hinata.” Sasuke said, extending his hand. “I’m Sasuke Uchiha.”

“You’re the raven.” She mumbled, grabbing his hand and shaking it.

“Raven?” Sasuke questioned, but Naruto knocked into him causing his focus to shift.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, Hinata… Let’s talk soon?” He smiled at her.

“Absolutely. You have my number. Nice to meet you, Sasuke.” 

And with that, she walked away.

Naruto looked to Sasuke, letting the confusion sit on his face again. “Since when do you pick me up?”

“I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to.”

“Well, no, you are _allowed_ to. I just wasn’t expecting you. I was going to hitch a ride home with Hinata—”

“Naruto.” Sasuke cut him off. “I’ve been an idiot. I know I have. I’m sorry.”

Naruto was silent.

“I’m going to buy you ramen. And you can tell me everything about how your meeting went with Hinata.”

Sasuke started to lead Naruto back to the car, but Naruto trailed along.

“Does that sound good?” Sasuke asked, looking back at Naruto.

“You know, Sasuke, obviously my meeting went well. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been hanging out with Hinata again so soon after.” Naruto clued him in.

“I get that now. I still want to hear about how everything went. You can top it off with whatever you two were doing tonight too.” He added on.

“Do you actually want to know, or do you just feel like you have to ask.”

Sasuke stopped walking and faced Naruto. “Please don’t start this shit with me.”

Naruto shrugged. “I’m not starting anything. You’re the one assuming that I’m starting something by challenging your words.” 

Sasuke glared. “I obviously want to know. We’re practically married.”

“Yeah, _practically_.” Naruto scoffed.

Sasuke lowered his head in defeat. “What do you want me to say, Naruto?” He had no idea how he was supposed to make it up to the blonde. He had fucked up by forgetting. If Itachi knew, he’d have the Uchiha’s head. But he was here, willing to make it up to Naruto, willing to do anything to show him that he cared. Even if it was a little past due. 

“The meeting went well. She seems very cool. She likes me. She likes my business. She also likes my writing—“

“I didn’t know you were still writing.”

“I’m not.”

The silence lingered for a moment. Obviously Naruto was writing if Hinata was able to read some of it. Why hadn’t he told Sasuke?

“That’s basically it.” Naruto concluded. “Now, are you still treating me to ramen?” His voice was harsh, but there was a small amount of hope that Sasuke could sense. He really didn’t want to argue with his lover at this time of night. He didn’t want either of them to resort to sleeping on the couch. He wanted an easy night, with easy conversation. 

Sasuke nodded. “My car’s at the end of the street. Let’s go.” 

He headed towards the car and felt Naruto trailing behind him. He couldn’t understand how Naruto’s mood switched so quickly, but he was determined to keep him happy for as long as he could. He wasn’t going to fuck up again. And so, ramen was the fix it all he needed.


	7. Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, guys. Here it is. Brace yourselves for the danger that this chapter holds. I'm not going to lie, I cried while writing it. WHY DO THESE TWO MAKE ME SO EMOTIONAL? It was hard, so if it took longer than expected, I apologize. I wanted to make it as clean as possible. It might be a little shocking, but hopefully you will feel better in the next chapter.
> 
> Anyway, as always, read it, comment, give me your thoughts and kudos. Join the crying club with me.
> 
> Warning: Some graphic content ahead. Be warned.

Sasuke sat across from Naruto in the corner booth of the blonde’s favorite ramen joint. They’d gotten their first bowl, which would likely be Sasuke’s only one, however, Naruto tended to rack up three or so per visit. And since this was Sasuke’s treat, Naruto was definitely going to take advantage. Oddly enough though, Naruto was still nursing his first bowl and they’d been there for around an hour now. On any normal visit, he’d be devouring the bowls with ease. So Sasuke wondered if he’d eaten already, but… Even if that were the case, it shouldn’t have mattered. Naruto tended to have a separate stomach designated for ramen only.

Sasuke kept watching as Naruto slurped up some noodles. He didn’t look mad or uncomfortable, more so just focused on the bowl in front of him. Their conversation had been minimal so far and Naruto hadn’t touched on Hinata or the deal she had offered him—if there even was one. He also didn’t want to push his luck though. He’d already royally fucked up with his total lack of communication. He wanted Naruto to come to him with this and share whenever he was ready. 

He didn’t want a silent dinner though. He wanted to get something out of this excursion. Maybe a nudge in the right direction wouldn’t set the blonde overboard. All he could do was hope.

“So, this thing with the Hyuuga woman is good, I’m assuming?” Sasuke asked, not making eye contact and trying to keep this conversation very casual. He did feel Naruto’s eyes lift to look towards him—probably in an attempt to read his intent with the question.

“It’s starting to look that way.” Naruto said and Sasuke nodded.

“Am I allowed to ask more about it?” Sasuke asked. The question, which meant no ill-will, came off kind of stand offish. He almost regretted saying it as it left his lips.

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed?” Naruto asked, returning the bite in his own tone.

“I don’t know. You seemed a little secretive about it when I asked you outside the store earlier.” Sasuke commented, eating some more of his ramen so he had something to do with his hands.

“I wasn’t being secretive. I was just a little upset that it took you so long to ask about it.” Naruto confessed.

Sasuke did feel bad. He knew he’d been so obsessed with his work that he’d completely dismissed Naruto’s. He didn’t mean to overlook him in anyway, or be self-centered. It’s just he had a one-track mind and it was hard to break from it.

“I’m sorry.” Sasuke mumbled.

“You should be.” Naruto responded. Naruto picked up some speed with his eating, as if hearing Sasuke’s apology lift some weight from his shoulders. He was able to consume his ramen the way he wanted to now, without restraint. 

Sasuke then waited for Naruto to continue with his storytelling, hoping that he would at least try to entertain Sasuke’s questions. As Naruto finished his first bowl, he placed it down on the table, waving over to the waitress to get another one ordered. He then turned to look at Sasuke.

“Well, first off, she wants to publish my work.” Naruto said, softly, as if nervous about how Sasuke would react. Unfortunately, Sasuke was taken by surprise with that comment and made a face that mirrored that emotion. Sure, she’d read some of his work, but was it good enough to be published?

“And she wants our ‘expansion’ to be based around that.” Sasuke’s eyes widened a bit at that as well. He quickly shook himself to try and control the forward emotional display. “Don’t look so shocked.” Naruto scoffed as the waitress brought him his second steaming, hot bowl of ramen.

Sasuke leaned forward, his hands clasped together on the table. “I’m not. I’ll admit that I’m a bit confused. I thought you said you weren’t writing.”

“I’m not _technically—_ yet at least. I was fucking around on the computer, writing something stupid, when she accidentally read—“

“Accidentally?” Sasuke interrupted.

“It was splayed out on the computer and she just happened to see it.”

“That’s a bit rude—rummaging through someone’s computer. What if that writing was private?” Sasuke commented, taking a sip of his water. 

“I didn’t intend for her to read it, but, at the same time—“

“Why didn’t close out of the writing application then?”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “Nevermind.” He slurped his ramen, slowly again.

Fuck.

“I’m sorry.” It was instinctive.

“Are you, Sasuke? Why don’t you let me finish what I’m saying at least before you badger me with questions?” Naruto wasn’t touching his ramen again. Sasuke could see the frustration glaring at him through Naruto’s blue eyes. He wanted to punch himself in the face. It was as if they didn’t know how to have a conversation with each other anymore. It was probably Sasuke’s fault too.

“You’re right. I’ll stop. You can continue.” Sasuke’s answer sounded insincere, but it wasn’t. He was sorry. Naruto was right. Even if he hated to admit his own defeat, he couldn’t be in control all the time, especially when he was supposed to share his life with the person sitting across the table from him. He needed to sit back and let Naruto take the wheel—if he’d even do that anymore.

Naruto shrugged and looked into his bowl of ramen as if it would give him advice on how to move forward. 

Sasuke watched as his shoulders lifted, and he took a deep breath. 

“Why don’t we go home?” Sasuke suggested. If Naruto was going to yell at him, he’d rather that happen in the comfort of their own place. 

“I’ve barely touched my second bowl of ramen.” Naruto said.

“Bring it home with you.” Sasuke responded, as he pulled out his wallet.

“I can’t eat it here?” Naruto asked. 

Sasuke didn’t know what to say. Of course he could eat it here. He was just offering something that he thought would help the situation. 

“I’m not going to make a scene if that’s what you’re worried about.” The blonde read his mind so easily. Sasuke wondered why it was so hard to be able to read Naruto’s like he used to.

“I—“ Sasuke blanked, slouching down in his booth. He still couldn’t find words to say that would make their conversation have a casual air about it. That was long gone. He had suggested them going home, but maybe it was for Sasuke’s own selfish needs rather than looking out for Naruto’s.

“You what?” Naruto asked.

“Nothing.” Sasuke muttered, under his breath. 

“Okay.” Naruto mumbled back. “You look upset now.”

“Because you’re mad at me.” Sasuke stated. There was no redeeming himself, and so, he might as well just call out everything as he saw it. 

“I’m not.”

“Then why are you being so harsh with everything you say to me?” Sasuke looked up at him. It wasn’t a challenge, but he needed to see Naruto’s mind processing it. Why was it so hard to read him all of the sudden?  
“I’m just responding in the only way I know how.” Naruto said.

“By being an asshole?”

Naruto glared. “ _I’m_ being an asshole?”

Sasuke made a gesture that said _obviously._

Naruto lowered his head. “You’re hilarious, Sasuke.” He sounded full of disappointment. And, from that moment on, Sasuke’s desperation sent him down a path of self destruction.

“Why can’t you just talk to me like I’m your…” Sasuke trailed off.

“Like I’m your what?” Naruto challenged. 

“You know what I’m talking about. I’m honestly trying to understand what’s going on in your life, Naruto. Why won’t you let me?”

“Because it’s always a fucking after thought with you! I swear… Your brother is even more attentive to me than you are, and he’s not my… _fiancé.”_ Naruto cursed the word as it left his mouth. It felt like poison. “I’m not mad. I’m just…” Naruto sighed.

“You should be mad.” Sasuke said. 

“It’s not worth it.” The two looked at each other and for the first time in years, Sasuke saw something he’d wished he could never see. Naruto didn’t hold any emotion in his face. His eyes were almost glazed over. The last time Sasuke had seen this look from his love had been when Naruto had stayed up over three whole days to finish writing a piece that ended up getting no recognition. Naruto had told him after that that he was going to take a break from writing and learn from Jiraiya. Sasuke didn’t argue with him at that time. It felt like Naruto was looking at his options objectively and choosing the one that lead him towards success. Being an artist was a difficult path, and Sasuke felt that—with the bookstore and helping Jiraiya—Naruto had secured the perfect compromise. 

But now, seeing this look again, it felt different and more clear—more directed at Sasuke. And now Sasuke understood exactly what it meant. Those eyes were like forcing Sasuke to gaze into the unwavering, glossy look and face the outcome he’d been unable to prevent. 

Naruto had given up.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t get any words out. As the waitress came back over—unable to sense the tension that lingered between the two men—Naruto asked for a box so he could take the ramen to go. The waitress left the check and walked away, but Sasuke didn’t stop watching Naruto. He was afraid of what looking away would mean.

Naruto picked up the check and looked at it. “Are you still treating me?” He asked, then looking up at Sasuke to gauge his response. Sasuke nodded. With that, Naruto handed him the check.

Breaking his gaze at the blonde, Sasuke looked down and pulled out the money to pay for the meals. It wasn’t much. The place wasn’t fancy at all. It was a casual spot, but was Naruto’s favorite. Naruto tended to have an affinity for mom-and-pop shops, saying that you could taste the love and passion in each bite more so than at a larger restaurant. 

As Sasuke placed the check and money down on the table, Naruto had already finished packing up his ramen into a to-go container. Sasuke watched him slide out of the booth and then look down on him.

“Ready?”

Sasuke nodded and let Naruto lead them out of the restaurant. 

* * *

The ride home was silent. Sasuke didn’t even put on music to entertain their ears and shield them from the tension. As they walked into the apartment, Naruto slid off his shoes and then headed straight for the bedroom. Sasuke followed and listened as Naruto turned on the shower, sliding open the glass door and stepping inside. 

Sasuke’s mind was racing, but empty at the same time. He wanted to apologize profusely, but he also wanted Naruto to see his side of things. Giving in wasn’t his style, but neither was losing. He wanted to have a conversation with Naruto that didn’t end with Sasuke saying the wrong thing or Naruto not caring anymore. The more Sasuke thought about it, he realized how both of them were at fault. It wasn’t like Naruto was unaware of how Sasuke operated. They’d been together long enough for his intense work ethics and vanity to not be a surprise anymore. He wasn’t always proud of how he held himself, but Naruto had always been forgiving and called him out on his bullshit when it went too far. And he had done just that tonight. Except there wasn’t hope for change in the blonde's voice. Not this time. 

Sasuke leaned his forehead against the closed bathroom door. How could he make it up to Naruto without him thinking he was just shoving the issue under the rug. They had a small relationship problem that needed to be addressed. Sasuke was even willing to go to therapy at this point, since it was something Naruto had suggested a year ago to Sasuke’s deaf ears. He didn’t enjoy the idea of some stranger giving him advice on how to run his relationship, but he’d do it if Naruto felt strongly about it. 

Whatever they chose to do, he didn’t want them to go to bed again angry. He wanted to show Naruto what he was having trouble saying. 

And so, Sasuke pushed open the door to the steamy bathroom and lingered for a moment, his eyes drawn to the silhouette in the shower. The air was warm and Sasuke hesitated as he thought about whether he should leave Naruto alone or not… 

He took a step forward and saw Naruto’s head turn in his direction.

“Were you planning on joining?” The blonde asked through the fogged glass.

“Can I?” Sasuke mumbled. He was greeted with silence as he watched Naruto’s head lower a bit. Finally, Naruto reached over to the glass door and pulled it open, revealing his stripped backside. Quickly, Sasuke threw off his clothes, not even caring where they fell on the floor, which was unlike him. He felt like this window of opportunity to talk things out was slim. He didn’t need Naruto to be upset with him for the next few days or weeks. He wanted to remind Naruto of what they meant to each other and that Sasuke would fix it. Whatever _it_ was, Sasuke would make everything better—like how it was.

Sasuke closed the glass door behind him and watched Naruto let the hot water fall over him. Sasuke wanted to press himself against the blonde, so they could share the heat from the water and their bodies, but he was still wary. Naruto must’ve sensed his hesitancy, looking over his shoulder to gaze at Sasuke. It felt like permission in a way.

Sasuke took a step forward and lifted his arms to wrap, delicately, around Naruto’s waist. He pulled the blonde’s back straight against his chest and rested his cheek on the tan back that greeted him. Squeezing tightly, he searched for Naruto’s soul in the man he held in his arms. All he wanted was Naruto to turn around and embrace him back, to whisper in his ear that they’d figure it out, not to worry… His internal monologue was spiraling into such a desperation for them to salvage their relationship. Even though it wasn’t over—their relationship. They were still together. Naruto was still wearing his engagement ring. Sasuke was still able to touch him like this. Right? Every couple had issues… Their relationship ending was never something on the forefront of his mind. He hated that it was there now…

He needed to push those negative thoughts from his subconscious. And so, Sasuke nuzzled the nape of Naruto’s neck, in an effort to loosen the tension between the blonde’s shoulders and his own mind. However, as his lips pressed into the man’s skin, he didn’t feel release, he felt more tightness. Why? It took Sasuke back for a moment, forcing him to try harder. Naruto was stubborn, but so was Sasuke.

Sasuke let his hands wander on Naruto’s taut chest. Every groove of his abdomen was gently caressed by Sasuke’s light fingers, eliciting a jolt of electricity that sparked heat. They then traveled up to Naruto’s pectorals, rubbing them in a suggestive way that caused Sasuke’s own body to react hotly. He left his mouth to nurse the side of Naruto’s neck, praying that the blonde would soon allow him more access. As the water felt down Naruto and then on Sasuke, engulfing them in warmth, Sasuke was finding it difficult to continue at this slow pace. He bit Naruto, blurring the line of pleasure and pain. He felt Naruto step back, flushing their bodies closer together. Sasuke felt that tingling sensation grace the southern part of his body. With more urgency now, he left his hand pull Naruto’s head to side as he trailed more aggressive kisses along the neck, heading towards his crisp jawline. He let his other hand travel south. He was desperate to hold Naruto’s arousal. Sasuke’s own length was hardening as the anticipation was rising. 

Before Naruto, Sasuke never lost his cool in terms of attraction and sexual desire. The moment Sasuke and him had explored something more than just friendship, Sasuke had lost all ability to control himself. He’d never felt that way about someone. The two of them were always on the same page in terms of their sexual responses. They could match anything the other presented. It’s what made their relationship so much better than other’s Sasuke had been in. They connected emotionally, sure, but their sex life sealed the deal. 

As Sasuke reached for Naruto’s cock, he started turning Naruto’s head to face him so he could lock their lips. Except, as Sasuke gazed into the blonde’s eyes and wrapped his fingers around his cock, his stomach dropped.

He wasn’t hard. His eyes were open.

Sasuke froze. He felt as though he was caught masterbating. Naruto had let him engage in some sort of one-sided sexual experience. Immediately, Sasuke’s face changed from sexual desire to embarrassment, then putting up his walls of defense. He let go of Naruto completely, taking a steps to separate them until his own back was against the tile wall opposite of the blonde.

Sasuke didn’t know what to say, and Naruto noticed. His eyes had that glazed over look again, which put the Uchiha on edge, deepening his desire to fight off the embarrassment. 

For at least a minute, the only sound was that of falling water. The two of them were standing, naked, waiting for the other to speak. Sasuke, his heart racing, felt like he couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.

“What the fuck…” He said on a quick exhale. His eyes were glued to Naruto’s. The softness of his touch was long gone. He had hardened his shell and was, now, going to call Naruto on his bullshit.

“Why would you let me do all of that if you weren’t into it?” He said, harshly.

“Who said I wasn’t into it?” Naruto asked, calm.

Sasuke gestured to the blonde’s not-so-aroused cock. “You’re dick.”

Naruto looked down and shrugged. “I guess you’re right then.”

Sasuke searched Naruto’s face as he lifted it back to meet his eyes. The Naruto he knew was no longer there… Sasuke felt himself begin to freak out.

“What’s going on with you?” He bit out. He was desperate for an answer that he could understand. Something told him that he wouldn’t get one though, which only made his heart race faster in fear.

“Answer me!” Sasuke demanded, letting his emotions hold him hostage. It was infuriating that Naruto’s emotion wasn’t matching his own. It made him want to punch the man in the face. 

“What were you expecting, Sasuke?” Naruto said, still calm. It was as if the roles had switched.

“What do you mean? I was—I wanted to make it up to you. I expected you to at least reciprocate my feelings.” The words were spilling out of Sasuke faster than he’d wished, but no matter how tightly he balled his fists together—in an effort to control himself—he couldn’t hold back. He felt like he was losing a race before he’d even gotten the chance to run.

“So, what…? We were just going to fuck ’til we came to a conclusion?” Naruto teased. It was almost sadistic. Was he amused?

Sasuke didn’t know how to respond. “What are you talking about? I… I love you. I wanted to—“

Naruto interrupted. “ _Fuck each other_ until we forgot why we were upset in the first place.” 

“No!” Sasuke yelled.

Naruto shook his head. He made a move to leave the shower, but Sasuke reached for his wrist and grasped it harder than was necessary. For the first time in a few hours, Sasuke weaseled a grimace from Naruto. 

“Let me go, Sasuke.” He said through gritted teeth.

“We’re not done talking.” Sasuke responded.

With a swift movement, Naruto broke out of Sasuke death grip. He held his wrist in his other arm and glared at the Uchiha.

“I am.”

“I’m not.”

“I don’t care.” And with that, Naruto slid open the door to the shower to step out and dry off. Sasuke took a crazed step out of the shower, leaving the water running behind him. He grabbed a towel and followed Naruto out into the bedroom.

“Stop avoiding me.” Sasuke said, taking a step in front of Naruto, who just stared at him.

“I’m tired.” Naruto said.

“So am I, but I don’t think it’s healthy for us to be upset with each other constantly and not talk it out.”

Naruto chuckled. “Oh, so now you want to talk it out?”

“Did I not before?” 

Naruto looked at him, silently. Sasuke was unsure of how the conversation was going to go, but he wasn’t giving up like Naruto looked as though he’d done. Sasuke was a fighter and he was going to talk with Naruto to get to the bottom of whatever this bullshit was, once and for all. Except, the moment he thought that, the gaze in Naruto’s eyes changed suddenly. It became more open, but also threatening—like a challenge. Sasuke watched as those blue eyes slowly made their way down the wet, and very open chest of his own. Sasuke saw the way Naruto parted his lips, inhaling sharply, as if to contain a budding arousal. Naruto then took a step forward, almost hesitant and testing to water to see how Sasuke would react. For some reason, the fear disappeared quickly as he noticed Naruto’s desire radiating off of him like sunshine. Naruto was such a tease… And when Sasuke saw that smirk hinting in the corner of Naruto’s lips, he felt a release of tension.

Sasuke’s still racing heart kept its pace, except the fear switched back into steady arousal. Even his member was hardening, and Naruto hadn’t even touched him yet.

Naruto was now close enough that the distance between them didn’t exist. Slowly, Naruto raised his arm, letting his fingers grip Sasuke’s chin, lifting it so their lips were a centimeter apart. Naruto then licked his lips. _Fucking tease._ Sasuke could feel himself unraveling. It was amazing how quickly his emotional state could switch… The two of them were always hot and cold, and this was proof of that. If Naruto wasn’t into it then, it was clear he was now. Even Sasuke found it difficult to let the blonde have control right now. All he wanted to do was grab the man and throw him onto the bed, so they could have their way with each other. He tried to hold back though… 

Naruto leaned in, hovering over Sasuke’s lips, but not pressing them together. He was waiting, letting the urgent desire build until they couldn’t handle it any longer. Sasuke felt himself become restless and as he shifted a bit, Naruto called him out.

“Wait.” He said. It was raspy, and deep and Sasuke gulped. Fuck, this was hard. And now, even slower than before, Naruto lifted his other hand. Except it didn’t find its way into Sasuke’s view… Oh… He felt it… 

Sasuke’s body almost went limp as Naruto’s hand removed the towel around Sasuke’s waist, dropping it to their feet. Sasuke couldn’t hide the immediate heat that flooded his cock, erecting it and giving Naruto access to grab hold of it. Gently, but with purpose, Naruto wrapped his fingers around the lengthy member and used his thumb to rub the pre-cum around the head. 

Sasuke’s eyes started to tremble in suppressed desire. Naruto’s didn’t waver—the man was enjoying this. And if this is what it took to bring Naruto back, Sasuke would secede to all of the blonde’s wishes. 

Naruto them twisted his wrist and gave a slow pump of Sasuke’s cock. 

“—Ngh.” Sasuke managed to mumble out in a heavy pant. With that growl of approval from the Uchiha, Naruto went up and down Sasuke’s cock a few times, all the while teasing Sasuke’s lips with the touch of his tongue. It was so painful to not be satisfied, but he was at Naruto’s mercy.

Sasuke wished he could look down to see if Naruto was also just as turned on as him, but he was finding it hard to think about anything other than the quick movements from the hand job Naruto was so perfectly giving him. As the blonde’s hand picked up pace, Sasuke felt his vision go blurry. To bring his attention back, though, Naruto used his thumb to drag Sasuke’s mouth open wider, then forcefully shoving his thumb inside the Uchiha’s mouth. Sasuke tried to focus…

But the more Naruto pumped him, he felt a swelling of pleasure close to being released from inside. “Nar—to—“ Sasuke couldn’t think straight, even his legs were shaking and he hadn’t cum yet.

“Please—“ Naruto removed his thumb from Sasuke’s mouth, and he became tense with overwhelming pleasure filtering through his body. Naruto pressed his mouth against his, shoving his tongue deep inside, which sent Sasuke over the edge. The climax reached his mind and he thrust his hips forward, reaching maximum pleasure from Naruto’s heated touch. Sasuke’s jaw went slack and his body soon followed as he released ribbons of white into Naruto’s hand that was still furiously milking his cock dry. Sasuke felt his eyes roll back and his body fall forward.

His breath was heavy as he leaned into Naruto, who then released his cock. Sasuke could hear Naruto’s heavy breath too, but didn’t feel that the man’s body was as relaxed as his own. With all his strength, he opened his eyes to look up to Naruto, who was holding him with one of his arms.

Sasuke’s eyes widened. 

“I knew you didn’t want to talk.” Naruto said, solemnly, letting Sasuke’s body lean against the bed now instead of the blonde. Sasuke, weak, was unable to chase after Naruto who went into the bathroom. Sasuke fell onto the bed, watching as Naruto washed himself of Sasuke’s release. As his head regained clarity, he found himself not understand what Naruto was talking about. That was the hottest make-up hand job Sasuke had ever received. He was hoping that he could repay the blonde for his services. 

As Naruto reemerged from the bathroom, the glazed look returned. Sasuke didn’t have energy to fight it though. All he could do was try and talk—hopefully that worked.

“Huh?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto glared. “You just wanted to fuck it out. I told you.”

“You came onto me.” Sasuke said.

“To prove a point.” Naruto said in response. He was cornering Sasuke, but he was still in the afterglow of his orgasm, he couldn’t escape. 

Sasuke watched as Naruto stripped himself of his own towel and then put on a pair of jeans and a loose fitted tee shirt. Was he going out again?

“I still want to talk.” Sasuke said, lifting himself onto his elbows.

“I’m tired.” Naruto said, not looking at him.

“Why are you putting on jeans then?” Sasuke asked.

“Because I’m not sleeping here.” Naruto grabbed a bag and shoved some shirts into it.

Sasuke couldn’t comprehend what Naruto was saying. The man had just given him a hand job. They’d kissed with more desperation than they had in a long time. It felt exciting. It felt like Naruto and him had finally joined together again and were floating on the same cloud of ecstasy. Was that all in his head? Was Naruto serious?

“I don’t understand.” It was all Sasuke could manage, forcing himself to sit up more.

“I just think we need to take some time apart.” Naruto shoved some pants in his bag.

Sasuke shook his head. “Why? What was that then?” He said in reference to their previous moment.

“I told you I was proving a point.”

“And because I enjoyed what you were doing, you decide to leave?” Sasuke said, feeling the urgency creep back into his voice.

“That’s part of it.” Naruto said, heading into the bathroom to pack toiletries. 

“What are you talking about, Naruto? You’re not making any sense. If you don’t want to sleep together for a night or two, that’s fine, I guess. I’ll sleep on the couch or something. Or I’ll go to Itachi’s. You don’t need to leave.” Sasuke tried to think of any solution that countered the one Naruto was suggesting. It was all happening so fast, he couldn’t even understand it. The true horror of the situation hadn’t hit him.

“I do. For my own sanity.” Naruto said, zipping up his back and standing in the door frame of the bathroom.

“Your sanity? Am I that unbearable to you?” Sasuke bit out, feeling his anger swell inside him. 

“Currently? Yes.” Sasuke launched himself off the bed to get in Naruto’s face.

“You just fucked me with your hand!” Sasuke yelled.

“To prove a point.” 

Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other, until Sasuke shoved Naruto’s chest away from him in disgust.

“You’re sick.” Sasuke mumbled, keeping his glare locked on Naruto, who was a few steps inside the bathroom now. 

“Am I?” Naruto asked.

“This entire night—all I wanted was to make it up to you, but you’re so fucking—“ Sasuke struggled. “You can’t even let me do that, can you? All this shit about you wanting to talk. Well, here I am! I’m trying my best to not freak out and just converse with you. What the fuck was I supposed to do if you’re going to jerk me off? Just forget that you’re all I want?” Sasuke’s breath hitched, and he dug his nails into the palms of his hands to distract himself of the pain in his heart. Soon enough, he drew blood.

Naruto noticed, his face softening considerably.

“Don’t fucking pity me.” Sasuke called out. 

The two stood there for the next few minutes, trying to cool down a bit before moving forward with the terrible conversation they were having. 

Finally, Naruto spoke. “You can’t fix everything in one night.”

“Obviously not with someone like you.” Sasuke scoffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Naruto asked.

“No matter what I say, you’re just going to leave any way right? Right?” Sasuke scowled. He didn’t want to lose control anymore. He didn’t want Naruto to leave, but if it was just for a few days then Sasuke would get over it. They could talk when they both calmed down and could think straight. And so, he took a step and moved out of Naruto’s way, allowing him to pass by.

Sasuke watched as he reached the door to the bedroom and hesitated.

“What?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto didn’t turn around. “Nothing.” He left the bedroom and Sasuke watched as he walked down the hallway, then turned the corner, out of sight. He heard the opening of the front door, a pause, and then it closed.

Sasuke kept staring in the same direction for—what felt like—hours. He couldn’t will himself to move, his body reeling in anger, fear, sadness, confusion, pain, pleasure… Every emotion under the sun was plaguing him. His vision went blurry as his eyes pooled with uncontrollable tears. As each one trickled down his cheek, it left a burning trail. He wiped away what he could, but it was all for nothing.

The air in the apartment wasn’t heavy any longer, but it was cold. Sasuke walked to the thermostat and upped the degrees more than was necessary. As the heat filtered in, he walked towards the front door and looked at it. His eyes moved to the surroundings. Naruto’s shoes were gone. Naruto’s jacket was gone. Naruto’s presence was gone. 

Sasuke turned towards the kitchen and something caught his eye on the counter. It was the worst thing he could’ve seen and it made the fear subject him to the greatest darkness he’d ever felt.

Naruto left his ring.


	8. Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Hope your holidays were good. I'm releasing my last chapter of the year (hahah, because 2021 is just a day away now!) I'm sorry for the trauma of the previous chapter and if you've given up on me, I understand. It's truly difficult to write these kinds of pieces, but I didn't want to make either character more likeable than the other. Each are shitty in their own way. Angst is my forte it seems, so get ready for another chapter filled with it.
> 
> We also get some Shikamaru, which I love as well.
> 
> As always, give your comments and reviews and kudos! See you next year!

Naruto sat behind the front desk of the book store. He was staring at the spreadsheet of their days sales. Every minute or two, he’d find himself losing interest in his work and just blankly gazing at the nothingness on the screen. He felt like shit. It had been five days since he’d walked out on Sasuke. He’d replayed the moments of that night over and over again—half the time it wasn’t even voluntarily. He’d been a bigger asshole than he’d planned. His true intention had been to just give Sasuke a taste of the cruelty he’d endured for the last year, but he took it too far. He already knew that without even venting about it to someone else. He hadn’t even looked at himself in the mirror during his time away. He was ashamed. And, even though he kept showing up to work, his attitude and lack of personality was affecting the entire staff. No one had been approaching him. Naruto could tell that Shikamaru had been controlling the environment so as to give Naruto the space he needed. And as the night came and the third day apart from Sasuke came to a close, Naruto’s eyes were read from dehydration and staring at the computer screen too long. He heard the entrance bell for the door ring as Kiba and Temari left. He felt heavy. He wasn’t even sure he’d blinked since he’d arrived that morning. He had an untouched cup of coffee that was brought to him when he arrived, but it was full. Oh how the hours seemed to move so quickly, yet, at the same time, not at all.

Naruto finally blinked, releasing stress from his eyes, just as Shikamaru touched his shoulder. With all the strength he had, Naruto moved his pupils to eye the man beside him.

“Ready to go?” Shikamaru asked, all packed up. So, the day was over… Naruto looked ahead at the screen again. He’d accomplished nothing. He hadn’t even reconnected with Hinata to send her any of his writing. Not that it mattered anyway. His work wouldn’t even make sense. He felt too far gone.

Naruto watched as Shikamaru shut off the computer in front of him and took the nudge to stand up. Leaving the cold cup of coffee in its place, Naruto mustered his remaining energy to follow Shikamaru out of the store. He leaned against the wall, watching as his friend locked up. But, before they continued to walk to Shikamaru’s apartment, the ponytailed man stopped and looked at him.

“Naruto?” He asked, and the blonde just looked at him with hooded lids and bloodshot eyes. “I wish you’d explain whats going on to me. I don’t feel like I’m able to help you otherwise.”

Naruto looked away, closing his eyes in a deep exhale.

“You can’t be like this forever. You’re an adult—a man.” Shikamaru pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one up for himself. 

“Want one?” He offered to Naruto, who shook his head in response. Shikamaru shrugged and took a long drag.

“You get what I’m saying, right? I can help you with whatever it is, but you have to let me.”

Naruto felt Shikamaru’s eyes on him in a studious glare. He opened his mouth, just barely, so he could get something out. “Maybe a drink.”

Naruto looked up at Shikamaru and caught the small glimpse of a smirk. Shikamaru was his closest friend, and Naruto knew that the man probably guessed what was going on, but he still respected the blonde enough to not assume. Naruto didn’t like feeling disgusting, so maybe Shikamaru could help him bleed out the toxicity that was infecting him.

* * *

Shikamaru brought the two of them over a bottle of sake with two small glasses to consume it. Even without taking a sip, Naruto could feel himself wanting to talk to Shikamaru and just confess everything—his mishaps, his judgements, his faults, his fears. Hopefully, Shikamaru would beat him up and then tell him how to fix it. _Hopefully._

They sat in silence for a bit. It seemed that Shikamaru was going to let him lead the conversation, which made sense. Naruto, being the confident and outgoing individual he was—it would only be normal for him to speak first. However, he was currently struggling. He couldn’t tell if it was because he was so lost in how to bring up the topic or because he was afraid of the reality the situation presented. Shikamaru was a no bullshitter type. He was bound to call it as he saw it. And Naruto knew that he might see something terrible. He sighed.

“Thanks.” Well, it was a start.

Shikamaru just nodded in his direction. He’d been grateful for Shikamaru’s friendship, especially these past few days. After he left Sasuke, he’d headed straight to Shikamaru’s and the man welcomed him in, putting him up comfortably. He wasn’t planning on staying their for too long, in fact, he was hoping he’d get some clarity and be able to confront Sasuke with a clear mind and objective after a good nights sleep. How pathetic a thought though. Naruto had been in this slump for a day too many and clarity was far out of his reach. He was confused. Shikamaru hadn’t been pushy to know his plans either. His main goal was to support his friend in a time of need and not ask questions. Yeah… Naruto was beyond grateful. So, the least he could do is talk to the man that was offering him the help he needed.

So, Naruto took a shot of his sake, and laid it all out.

“I fucked up.” Without looking at Shikamaru, he heard the man choke and laugh a bit.

“I noticed that.” Shikamaru commented, and Naruto glared at him. He then poured himself another shot and took it.

“And I gave my ring back.” Naruto said, and so Shikamaru reached over to grab Naruto’s hand that no longer held the ring on its finger.

“Noticed that too.” He responded, taking a sip of his sake.

Naruto pulled his hand away and sighed, looking down. “Sasuke probably hates me.”

Shikamaru chuckled. “Since when are you the pessimist? Isn’t that my job?” 

The two looked at each other and Naruto felt a bit better. It was nice to speak again, or have reason to. Even if the reason was destined to be how shitty of a person he was, at least he wasn’t drifting into insanity. 

“Sorry.” Naruto exhaled, taking another shot.

“Slow down there. I don’t want to have to carry you back. Just pace yourself.” Shikamaru said. He was right. Naruto couldn’t overdo it. He wanted clarity, not intoxication to muddle his thoughts. Even though drinking away the pain sounded like a somewhat decent idea right about then.

“I’m listening, you know.” Shikamaru added that verbal comfort. It helped. Everything he did seemed to.

“Yeah… It’s just… I was so… mad. And I wallowed in it, so that every time I looked at him, I just saw the fact that I was angry and he wasn’t seeing the reasons as to why I would be. I mean—he noticed something was wrong, I’ll give him that—but it was like he was asking for forgiveness before even apologizing.”

“He didn’t apologize?” Shikamaru asked, taking a sip of sake and leaning back. He noticed that the conversation wouldn’t be quick.

Naruto thought, and in the softest voice, “Well… He did.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and looked down, before capturing Naruto’s attention again. “Naruto. The man’s not the most… _socially competent,_ but he’s not inept either.” He grumbled.

“I know that.”

“If he apologized, why’d you wild out on him? Speaking of which, what did you do exactly?” Shikamaru asked, but his eyes widened immediately when he saw the threatening glare from Naruto.

“Did I touch a button or—“ The man asked, frozen.

Naruto held the glare for a bit, but then closed his eyes to try and release his mind from that dark hole he often buried himself in. He didn’t want to tell Shikamaru about it. He really didn’t want to… Sasuke had called him sick, and maybe he was… Shikamaru… If he thought of Naruto the same way as Sasuke now did, he’d feel utterly and completely alone. He didn’t think Shikamaru would drop him so quickly, not at least without knowing all of the facts, but… He felt his face flush a bit in embarrassment. He wouldn’t be able to clear his head and understand his next steps unless he was honest. That was the cold heart truth of it all. 

And so, he sucked it up—to hell with his personal feelings on the matter. “I basically…” Naruto leaned forward, prompting Shikamaru to do the same. “I jerked him off to prove a point.” 

Shikamaru didn’t move and he kept his composure. Naruto grimaced though. Just saying it made him feel like a lesser human being. 

“And… what was the point you were trying to prove?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto gulped, tightening his grip around his sake glass. “My point… I mean—that night, I wasn’t enjoying my time with him. Even though he apologized, I still felt like it was his last ditch attempt to make me feel better. He wouldn’t even expand on his apology. He just would say sorry. And he took me to get ramen, which was fine, but when he kept asked about Hinata and the possible publishing company start-up, it was all… His voice sounded like he was talking to me as though he was _better_. He lacked that personal interest in what he was asking about. He was just going through the motions of being a couple or being interested. And then—I know this is long, I’m sorry—we got home and I was still mad, so I went to shower, hoping to try and cool my head. But he followed me in there, joined me and then tried to have sex with me… So, I just threw that back at him.” Naruto took a deep breath.

And Shikamaru was still unwavering. “So, your point was…?”

“That he just wanted to have sex until I forgave him or some shit. He didn’t care about the conversation.The fact that he let me touch him till he finished in my hand… He didn’t want to talk anymore, even though I was still pissed, which he found out in the shower.”

Naruto leaned back, but Shikamaru was still leaning forward. As the silence dragged on—Naruto could tell the gears were turning in Shikamaru’s head—he poured himself two more shots and took them quickly. He felt his palms start to sweat. 

Finally, Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and made eye contact with the blonde. Naruto found it difficult to read his face, it was neither content, or upset. It was… neutral, as if he was just an unbiased third person.

“You kind of manipulated him then.” That hurt. It wasn’t untrue, but Naruto didn’t feel like he was the all around bad guy here. He did one thing wrong. Yeah, it was gross and he probably shouldn’t have done it… But the man he had done it to had been pushing him aside for over a year… He’d ignored their engagement… He’d forgotten to care about Naruto’s possible future job opportunities. He’d shut himself off from Naruto in a way that made the blonde feel like no one. He felt… indifferent now. He didn’t want Sasuke to hate him… He still loved Sasuke… He just wanted the man to see how painful it was to be him.

Naruto always made rash decisions and acted off of his emotions. While at times it was his strength, but in others it was his weakness. This being one of those times that it was the latter. Shikamaru was honest and truthful. Naruto _had_ manipulated Sasuke… It wasn’t right. But at the same time, hearing Shikamaru say that just made an anger boil inside of him. It was as if he still wasn’t being heard.

He poured another shot and took it, while Shikamaru’s eyes followed his actions.

“Maybe I did. I know I fucking did. But… Shikamaru. At the same time, I don’t know… It’s not easy to slowly feel yourself falling out of love with someone who you’re supposed to be married to…” He trailed off.

“You’re not in love with him any more?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto shrugged. It was the first time he’d let that thought slip from his mouth. It made it feel so real now. Maybe he wasn’t in love with Sasuke… Maybe he was holding on to some idea of their relationship that no longer existed. Naruto felt his hand start trembling, but he gripped the side of his pants to cause enough of a distraction that the trembling fell under control.

“I do love him.” Naruto squeezed out. “I just don’t know whether or not we want the same things from each other anymore. Does that make sense?”

Shikamaru nodded.

“I know how focused he is on work. And now that he’s got this new merger thing, I wasn’t really able to feel myself in the relationship. And the fact that Sasuke didn’t seem to notice…”

Naruto pushed the shot glass away from him. 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” He confessed. That anger quickly released.

Shikamaru shifted, lifting his eyes away from the blonde to process it all. It was a heavy dump of information, but Naruto was banking on Shikamaru.

“Have you talked to him at all?”

Naruto shook his head.

“He hasn’t reached out?”

Naruto looked down. Unfortunately, Naruto’s exit probably pushed Sasuke so far away… He didn’t know if he’d ever see him again.

“I don’t know why I do the things I do. Last year, I thought we’d be married already. I thought we’d both be happy and just… harmoniously existing together. And I know life can’t be a fairytale or whatever, but… I had felt so lucky to be with him _at all_ that I pushed down my hurt and my anger regarding his work and his dismissive nature and self-centered ideologies… I shoved it so far fucking down, Shikamaru.” 

Naruto’s breath was giving out and he felt his hand tremble again. “I know what I did was shitty. And if Sasuke hates me, then I’ll just have to either move on or maybe convince him not to… I don’t know.” Naruto laughed a bit. As if Sasuke could be convinced to not hate him. What a joke. A pathetic joke.

“Sorry to just dump this all on you like you’re my therapist.” The blonde said, “I just wish I knew the answer on how to deal with this. I’m not perfect, and I know he isn’t either, but what we had did feel perfect at some point. And so now, everything feels like it’s falling from some sort of grace. I hate it. I hate myself for not being able to change it. I hate him from not understanding anything.”

Naruto’s hand lost its grip on his pants and his eyes swelled. He didn’t want to cry in a public place, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to hide his emotions. He was going off the deep end.

“Naruto…” Shikamaru tried to grab his attention. Naruto’s eyes met his and he felt the radical waves of uncertainty vanish. Shikamaru was strong and like an unwavering ship. He swallowed back his tears, keeping himself under control. He trusted his friend to be that support he needed right then.

“From what I’m hearing, you’ve both fucked up. What you did escalated this shit show more than it needed to be escalated. But Sasuke’s passive indifference shouldn’t be overlooked and I know that.”

Naruto nodded.

“You guys need to talk though. While I’m sure it helps to vent about it all to me, the only way you’ll find some understanding with how to move forward is by clearing the air with him.”

Naruto didn’t stop nodding.

“I don’t think you guys should be together though.” Shikamaru added and Naruto’s eyes widened. While he had made the decision to leave Sasuke, he didn’t think about the extent of time he’d need to be away from the man. He never wanted to admit that him and Sasuke weren’t perfect for each other—even if their relationship had gone off track. Someday they’d find their way back to each other, when they were ready. Fate would allow it.

If Shikamaru didn’t think they should be together…

“At least, not right now.” Shikamaru said. 

Naruto’s heart was sinking lower and lower with each passing second. “What do you mean by that?”

Shikamaru finished off the bottle of sake with this pour. “That if you guys do everything right, you could salvage something in the future.”

Naruto looked down at his trembling hands.

“You can’t fuck up anymore though.” Shikamaru chuckled, swigging down his beverage. 

Naruto tried to smile, but it was forced.

“Just talk to him. You won’t know anything until you both approach things with a clear head.”

“I know.”

Naruto took a deep breath. The sake was hitting him a bit and he was feeling more loose and open than he’d felt that entire week. After letting everything out, he even felt lighter. While he still had a tinge of shame and embarrassment from his actions, he had hope that him and Sasuke could come to some mutual understanding. If Sasuke didn’t hate him yet…

“So?” Shikamaru asked.

“I’ll talk to him.” Naruto confirmed.

“Good.” Shikamaru smiled at Naruto. “Now, do we want another bottle or…”

Naruto chuckled, for real. “I thought you said you didn’t want to carry me home.”

“Fucking lightweight.” Shikamaru mumbled in a teasing tone. Finally, Naruto leaned back. Confessing it all lifted him a bit and while the road ahead was still unclear. He felt like he could build something from the ashes—if Sasuke would let him.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the kitchen, sipping from a glass of red wine. He stared at the ring—Naruto’s ring—untouched for five days. Naruto still remained in the apartment, his clothes, his scent… Everything there reminded Sasuke of the blonde. It disgusted him. He’d washed his bed sheets every day that week to try and remove the scent that lingered. He’d even tossed all of Naruto’s bathroom utilities into a box and shoved it in the closet with his clothes. He’d bleached down the entire bathroom, scrubbing it—specifically the shower—until his palms were bruised. He’d spent hours, day after day, try to physically remove Naruto’s existence. He’d finally gotten to place where he felt _okay,_ except he couldn’t touch the ring. He couldn’t touch the one thing he’d given Naruto that reminded him of what they meant to each other. He swore to himself that he hated him, but every time he approached the ring to hide it away, he felt himself break down in fear. If he got rid of it, then that would be it. There’d be no reconciliation or hope for their relationship to rekindle. His feelings of love were lodged within that circular ring… He was afraid to toss it to the side like trash.

However, Itachi was on his way over. Sasuke hadn’t mentioned anything about the break up in fear of Itachi’s overbearing self to insert his way into it somehow. He needed work to distract him and his brother to stay out of it. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to hide this that much longer. With his inability to move the ring from plain view, and Itachi’s observant eye, he’d never escape the list of questions. Sasuke had one thing in mind though. Tokyo. He didn’t care to dwell in his emotions. The only way he was going to be happy is in Tokyo, away from his home he’d built together with Naruto. Now, he’d create a new home, no matter how painful that sounded. 

He kept staring at the ring, willing it to move on its own and the make the decision for him. Should he forget Naruto, or hold on to him still? Where would the growth be in either? He’d shared a third of his life with the blonde… Would he even be able to so casually discard it? 

He filled up his red wine again as he heard a knock on the door.

“It’s open.” The younger Uchiha stated loud enough so that the man on the other side would hear it. It was rather late for Itachi to come over, but, after Sasuke had left the office, Sakura had called and Itachi had been the only one to pick up. Supposedly in the following days they’d be looking for new office spaces in the financial district of Tokyo, big enough to hold the two companies and their teams. Sasuke wanted—no needed—to be there. He’d already bought his flight that would leave the evening of the following day. Itachi coming over would be a formality so they could brief the necessities needed in terms of location and also the spacial breakdown for each company. Once the list was finalized, Sasuke’d be free to see the locations Sakura had up her sleeve.

As Sasuke turned around to face his brother, his eyes widened in shock and he dropped his glass of red wine on the ground. The world stopped and the shattering of glass, now at his feet, didn’t even matter. He felt his heart give out—like he was having a heart attack—but his face showed nothing of the sort. But he could feel himself falling backwards, not passing out, but just going through some unwarranted vertigo.

Reaching out for Sasuke, Naruto skidded past the broken glass to help Sasuke, but his kind gesture wasn’t well received.

Sasuke pushed Naruto away, leaning back against the wall. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He panted. Sasuke couldn’t even look at him, still feeling the unbearable shame from their night five days ago.

Sasuke watched as Naruto’s feet stepped away, narrowly avoiding the glass on the ground. He wasn’t expecting the blonde to come over… Not now, he wasn’t ready. 

“What do you want?” Sasuke barked, still keeping his head low.

“To talk… That’s all.” Naruto mumbled in defense. How selfish of him… To come over when he was ready, but not when Sasuke’s was ready. The man went without an invite. He was courteous to knock, like Sasuke cared though. He needed to get Naruto out before Itachi showed up.

“I don’t want to talk.” Sasuke noticed how Naruto’s voice was devoid of anger, making it difficult for Sasuke to maintain his own.

“Get out.” Sasuke pointed to the door.

“Sasuke.” Naruto said, softly, and Sasuke snapped his head up.

“Don’t say my name!” The way Naruto had said Sasuke’s name felt so familiar to him and it was messing with his head. “Don’t say my name…” He exhaled, out of breath. 

He couldn’t calm the thumping in his chest. He felt overwhelmed with anger and frustration and sadness and confusion. He had pushed it down after Naruto left and let it simmer. Now, as he saw the man before him, it was all boiling over in the most disgraceful way.

Naruto bent over to pick up the glass pieces on the ground, inserting himself into Sasuke’s view. The Uchiha groaned, looking up and away, now feeling the tears streaming down his face. He really had no control of himself at the moment. He hated seeing Naruto so controlled right then… It reminded him of that last night together. It hurt him—no _disgusted_ him.

“Stop doing whatever you’re doing. Just leave.” Sasuke said, gritting his teeth. 

“Please, can we talk…” Naruto asked, while still picking up glass from the ground.

Sasuke didn’t want to look down, but felt he had no choice but to physically force the man out of his house. He gripped the edge of Naruto’s collar into his fist and lifted him to his feet, shoving him back towards the door. Sasuke felt unhinged and all because of Naruto. It was a terrible feeling. 

“Leave! Now!” Sasuke yelled.

Naruto stumbled forward and, with his back facing Sasuke, shifted his gaze to the ring that was laid out perfectly where Naruto had left it five days prior. Sasuke noticed Naruto’s body shift and almost fold in on itself, as if weighed down by some immense pressure. He didn’t want to engage with the blonde right now. He didn’t know how to… 

“Do you want me to do something with it?” Naruto mumbled. It was barely audible and Sasuke had to hold his breath in order to hear it. 

“Huh? Why? Just leave.” Sasuke repeated, coming down a bit, but still furious. His hands were balled into fists and his eyes were trembling.

“You haven’t moved it.” Sasuke noticed that Naruto wanted to reach out and touch it, but held himself back. Instead, he looked over his shoulder at the Uchiha with tears in his bloodshot eyes. 

Sasuke could tell that Naruto hadn’t been sleeping. He looked dead on the outside, which was probably a direct statement to how he felt on the inside too. It was hard to look into his eyes, that somehow seemed more blue now that they were filled with tears and veins. 

Naruto didn’t fully face him, and Sasuke didn’t know if he’d be able to handle it if he did. He was so mad at Naruto. Part of him wanted to beat him to a pulp. At the same time, seeing Naruto like this made Sasuke want to hold him. He was confused… He didn’t understand why Naruto was there, showing up so late at night, with no warning, and seemingly depressed or something. He hadn’t reached out to Sasuke at all, not that he was expecting him too. 

Sasuke felt Naruto’s statement of leaving the ring was pretty clear. He’d made himself aware that he was going to move forward, whether or not Naruto was in his life. He couldn’t be held back by him anymore.

Sasuke felt trapped behind the glass on the floor. He was also afraid to get too close to him.

“I’m sorry I just showed up like this.” Naruto said, changing the subject. Sasuke didn’t respond.

“I just was afraid that if I waited, I wouldn’t have the courage or I wouldn’t remember what to say or…” Naruto trailed off, uncertain. 

Sasuke felt ambushed, but he didn’t know how to approach the situation. If Itachi decided to show up, he’d be walking into a battlefield. A talk with Naruto would be messy—add Itachi to the mix and it could be gruesome. 

Sasuke inhaled deeply. He hated the idea, but he needed to hear Naruto out. To discuss whatever it was he was looking to get off his chest… If they breezed through it quickly, maybe he could shove the blonde out of the door before more damage could be done. 

“Fine. Talk. Quickly.” Sasuke said, coming down from his high. “I don’t have much time.” His voice was still aggressive in its tone, which he could tell set Naruto on edge. _As it should._

“Are you busy tonight?” Naruto asked. “I know I should’ve called.”

“You should’ve, but it’s too late now.” Sasuke responded, nearly cutting him off. Naruto lingered in the silence for a bit, still not facing him. Sasuke wondered if he was still waiting for an answer to the question. 

“If you’ve got work to do, I’ll leave.” Naruto said.

“You’re dragging this out long enough already. Just say whatever shit you have to say and leave.” Sasuke said, his voice threatening enough to scare children for life.

Sasuke watched Naruto take a deep breath, his shoulders falling up and then down, slowly. He didn’t have a clue what Naruto could say that would redeem him. But as Naruto turned around the fully face him, Sasuke felt himself flood with frustration. He hated Naruto for fucking him over. He loved Naruto for showing him love in the first place. He hated Naruto for toying with his emotions. He loved Naruto.

He just did. 

It fucking hurt.

“I hate what I did to you. I hate myself for doing that. And I’m sorry.” Naruto said.

That was different from what Sasuke expected, but it looked like Naruto wasn’t done.

“I love you still.” Naruto continued.

Sasuke felt his breath hitch.

“I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore though.”

Sasuke stopped breathing now and his ears started ringing. Did he hear that right? How was Naruto not in love with him, but still loved him? It didn’t make sense. Sasuke felt his eyes bouncing around, unable to hold focus. He was searching for some answer as to why Naruto had to consistently fuck him over…

“What?” It managed to escape his lips as his mind went blank.

“I’m sorry…” Why did Naruto look so upset? He wasn’t getting dealt blow after blow, knocking the wind out of his system. Sasuke needed to be put on oxygen, because he couldn’t catch his breath. He felt his legs want to give out, but if he fell to the ground, he knew he’d fall into the glass. He tried to hold himself up, but he was unsure what good that’d do at this point.

He’d loved Naruto. So much. How could the blonde find fault in him enough to lose his feelings?

“How?” Sasuke’s voice trembled. “How could you?” Sasuke was cursing the man to hell in his head.

“How, Naruto?!” Sasuke yelled, so violently that he did, indeed, fall forward. His hands caught himself on the ground, some small shards of glass slicing his palms open. Even without physically touching him, Naruto had punctured his skin.

Sasuke wanted to say more, but felt himself giving in to the overwhelming hurt in Naruto’s words.

“I don’t know… We wanted different things, I think.” Naruto said, looking down at Sasuke. However, Sasuke forced himself up, his palms bleeding and glared at Naruto.

“ _We?_ Are you talking about the stupid wedding?” Sasuke asked, so far gone that he couldn’t hold back any longer. Naruto asked for it by invading his space, unwelcome.

“The wedding isn’t stupid, Sasuke.” Naruto said.

“Don’t say my name.” Again, he had to repeat himself. Naruto never listened. He hated it. 

“Fine.”

“So it’s the stupid wedding and the whatever job thing you got. That’s it?” Sasuke asked, mocking Naruto.

“No.”

“Then what else? Have you been making a list?” 

“I haven’t.”

“Spit it out then. Since you seem to know it all.”

Naruto kept his eye contact firm. “Those things you mentioned are some of it, but… I—“

“Well?” Sasuke yelled, sending a visible shiver down Naruto’s spine. 

“I think you’ve got a plan for your life. I don’t know how I fit into that plan, while I’m still able to have my own.” Naruto said, exhaling fully.

“I don’t even know what that means.” Sasuke bit out, his fingers suddenly aware of the pain flooding throughout them.

“It means that you’re so focused on yourself and where you need to be, that I’m not being taken into consideration. And it hurts…” Naruto explained.

“My goals haven’t changed for a decade. You knew about them.” Sasuke said, becoming more serious.

“I know. I thought I could deal with it all, but it’s become…” Naruto didn’t know what to say, it was obvious.

“Is this because you got the writing thing?” Sasuke asked.

“What? No.”

“Well, it’s certainly sounding like it. What, with you suddenly dissatisfied with our relationship now that someone with money is offering you a chance at stardom. You’re not Jiraiya. Why are you trying to be?” Sasuke wiped his bloody hands on his pants, grimacing from the pain of glass lodged under his skin.

“Excuse me?” Naruto asked, incredulously. “Jiraiya has nothing to do with this. I’m telling you that for over a year now, you’ve put me in a waiting room. I’m unable to smile with you anymore because every inch that I’m given in my life, you challenge the validity of it.”

“Stop talking smart.” Sasuke growled.

“Is that what you want?” Naruto growled back, louder.

“God, you’re so annoying. I can’t believe I’m bleeding out and having to deal with some manipulative asshole who won’t get the fuck out of my apartment.” Sasuke walked up to Naruto, stepping over the glass, and shoved him towards the door again.

“It’s so typical of you to blame this on me. I should’ve seen it coming. You had me going for a bit, with you apologizing and all of that garbage.”

“I meant what I said.” Naruto confirmed.

“Doesn’t matter. You walked out on me. You manipulated me. You ended our relationship. And now you’re blaming me for it all.” Sasuke’s eyes were so wide, that he felt like they’d pop out from their sockets. 

“Are you jealous that my plan is coming to fruition or something? You can’t handle seeing how successful I’m becoming? Huh, Naruto?” Sasuke watched as Naruto looked away, unresponsive.

“Well, guess what? I’m still reaping the benefits from my hard work. Pretty soon, I won’t even be walking these god forsaken streets of Konoha. I’ll be living and breathing Tokyo. So, fuck you and your shitty apology. I couldn’t care less about what it is you still have to say.” Sasuke shoved him one last time, so that Naruto’s back hit the door.

Naruto was just staring at Sasuke though. He couldn’t tell if he’d gotten everything he’d said through his thick skull. What a fucking idiot.

“Tokyo?” Naruto mumbled. 

Sasuke watched him. He looked confused.

“So you’d decided then.” 

Had he not told Naruto?

“I thought you were undecided, but you had already decided, didn’t you?” Naruto’s voice wasn’t strong anymore. It was weak. It was dissolving in power. It felt used, just like how Sasuke felt.

“I told you that it was a possibility.”

Naruto chuckled. “It was never a maybe for you. You were going to move there.” The blonde shook his head. “You just didn’t know how to tell me at the time.”

“You don’t know anything about what I’m doing or how I’m doing it.”

Naruto fought back. “Maybe so. It’s not like you moving to Tokyo was an overnight decision. You knew you were going. When did you decide?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“When were you planning on telling me?”

“It doesn’t fucking matter.”

“Did you think I’d move with you, or did you have other plans?”

“It doesn’t—“

“—fucking matter, I get it.” Naruto shoved him back towards the counter. “I can see your priorities clear as day.”

The two stared at each other for so long, Sasuke was afraid that the conversation was over—meaning Naruto would leave for good. He could feel something coming to a close, and his anxiety was spiking. Not only did Naruto call him out on Tokyo, he couldn’t respond properly to the man’s interrogation. 

“When are you leaving?” Naruto asked.

“For good?” 

“For good.”

“Undecided. But soon.”


	9. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I know it's been awhile since I've updated. Sorry about that! I'm starting off the year a bit busy and it will continue for the next few months. SO PLEASE BARE WITH ME. Agin, I'm sorry about it all. I love this story though and want to do it justice! Hopefully we are past a majority of the deep angst now. Let's try and liven up these babies' spirits!
> 
> As always, read, comment, give kudos. If you hate it, I'm sorry. If you love it, thank god!
> 
> ENJOY!

It had been twenty minutes since Sasuke confessed to possibly leaving to Tokyo sometime soon. During that period of time, Naruto felt his emotions range from anger and rage, to sadness, then guilt, and finally desperation. 

Naruto could feel his eyes trembling in their sockets, while his shallow breath’s restrained him from controlling his body. It was like the unimaginable was now happening and there was no rewinding time to fix it all. No, whatever relationship they once shared was no more. Sasuke had made it clear. It felt odd—while his body was swelling with tension and anxiety, his mind was now blank. He couldn’t even find the willpower to break the intense eye contact between them. And that silence was deafening. As he stared at Sasuke—his eyes begging for the raven to kick him out again, so he’d, at least, have the physical push he needed to leave—he tried to calm himself down and be positive. However, he just couldn’t. What was there to be positive about in this situation? His _person_ was no longer that. Sasuke’d been humiliated by Naruto’s actions and words. On top of that, Sasuke hadn’t treated Naruto that much better. What, with dismissing his wants and needs and, now, lying to him about moving. Naruto took in a shaky breath, instantly regretting it as his eyes started to water. It wasn’t like Naruto could change anything by asking Sasuke to stay in Konoha. What good would that do? All it would be is: confusing. In fact, Naruto didn’t even know if he wanted Sasuke to stay. If their relationship did actually end tonight, then it would be easier for Naruto to move on without Sasuke around. That way, Sasuke could also do what he needed to do and be successful without Naruto bothering him about elementary things… Like a wedding, for instance. 

He hated to admit it, but fate wasn’t on his side anymore. He couldn’t help but wonder what good would come next… Would he find success, like Sasuke? Would he be happy without the man by his side? Finding a silver lining was hard, especially when the dark eyes of the man he once was so deeply in love with were staring back at him clouded in shallow hatred.

Naruto was lost in his despair.

“You should go.” Sasuke broke the silence. “Itachi is coming by and I need to…” His eyes moved to the glass on the floor.

Naruto nodded. “Yeah.”

Even though there was an agreement that Naruto should be leaving, the blonde couldn’t find it in him to follow through. The moment he’d take a step outside their once shared apartment, he didn’t know if or when he’d see Sasuke again. He didn’t know when he’d touch him… Would he even have the right to? 

He looked at Sasuke’s profile, his dark hair falling over it, blocking Naruto’s clear view of his eyes. He felt tortured—seeing the remnants of his greatest lover in front of him, but not feeling the grandeur of it to fill him up. Why did it happen like this? His goal wasn’t to end things, but, at the same time, his actions came off that way. He couldn’t deny it.

“Naruto.” Sasuke stated, firmly, not looking up at him.

Naruto felt shattered. He came to talk to Sasuke because… because… He was _confused_. That’s it. He was just acting out before. He realized it. And he didn’t want his suspicions to become reality. He wanted to wake himself up because he was afraid he wouldn’t recognize the world outside anymore. As he watched Sasuke bend down to start picking up the glass from the floor with his damaged hands, all he wanted to do was bend down and help him and apologize profusely. God, he wished they could’ve approached their chat in a civil way, but perhaps Naruto could’ve thought a bit more before he’d acted. He’d already left Sasuke in a terrible and dramatic way. And now, he was barging in on him, unannounced… Naruto had no right to hope for civility. He’s the one who was causing the dramatics. Why wouldn’t Sasuke suspect their relationship was over. He had every indication that it was. No matter what Naruto said now, it would all fall short.

So, even though he wanted to stay and wanted to understand Sasuke’s feelings or plans or whatever… He knew he shouldn’t. He couldn’t.

Naruto took the first step outside of the kitchen towards the front door. With each step moving towards it, he wondered if he should stop. He closed his eyes, letting his muscle memory guide him.

He stood in front of it and paused, breathing in and out again. Risking it, he looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, kneeling on the ground, holding broken glass in his hand, still. It was a terrible sight and one that would live with Naruto for the rest of his life. It burned itself in his memory… 

Rarely was there a clean break when it came to ending a relationship. Naruto didn’t know what he was expecting. In many cases, both parties act irrationally. That held true here.

When Naruto first came by, he didn’t know if he wanted to try and talk things out with Sasuke, or end it completely, maybe both? He should’ve waited longer though. He should’ve gotten himself in order… But how long would that have taken? What if, by the time he came to an understanding, Sasuke’d moved on or just… Shut him out completely? But, how would that be any different from what was happening at that moment?

Naruto banged his head on the door in frustration, his eyes still closed shut. 

“This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.” Naruto breathed out. He could tell Sasuke had shifted his head to look in his direction. 

“What did you expect?” Sasuke commented, his voice soft, but words harsh. Naruto flinched.

“I don’t know… I still am sorry for what I did to you. I’m frustrated that we could never see eye to eye with the wedding and just our time… I don’t know why… or how… or when… my heart changed. I think I’m so mad that I’m just unable to find excuses anymore. I’m not blaming you, more so myself, now that I think about it. And I’m sad because I love you, but I can’t… It feels like shit. I just wanted to tell you—when I first came over—that I think we should take time apart. Which, you seemed to already have known, or expected. I didn’t know how long or how we would do it, but now, with you leaving, and me just being… An asshole to you… If we took a break, would it be just a break? Or would it be…” Naruto trailed off. 

“You made it clear that you wanted _this_ to end.” Sasuke mumbled, under his breath.

“It’s wasn’t my intention.” Naruto responded, his eyes opening to look over at Sasuke.

“How?” Sasuke asked. “You left your ring. You didn’t contact me. You… I… I didn’t know…” He couldn’t finish.

Naruto sighed. “I just needed time to think about everything.”

“Without me?” Sasuke finally let himself have eye contact with Naruto.

“Yeah.” Naruto muttered, hating that it was the truth. 

“And, now, what about me?”

“I’m sorry.” He could tell Sasuke was hurting, but Naruto knew that, in vulnerable situations like these, Sasuke would sooner or later put up his defenses again. He’d look at Naruto like he was a stranger. He’d pretend to be unaffected, showing off his clear head. Naruto knew it was all a facade, but he wasn’t going to stop Sasuke from acting how he needed to act to continue forward. 

“Okay.” Sasuke gulped.

And Naruto watched as Sasuke’s face switched, slowly, gradually. His eyes glazed over, then his brows released their tension, his sadness turned into indifference. Naruto felt his lips turn into an inescapable frown. 

He didn’t know when he’d see Sasuke as _his_ Sasuke again. If he could even hold onto that hope. He hated that his final image of the man wouldn’t be the one he’d fallen in love with, but the one who looked as though he’d never allow love to touch him again.

“It’s time for you to go.” Sasuke said, his voice monotone. He stood up, tossing out the broken glass in the trash can. As he turned around to look at Naruto, the blonde felt like he was alone in the room. Sasuke wasn’t there anymore. Sasuke wasn’t his. Sasuke was just… a memory. 

Naruto nodded, trying to match the stability in Sasuke’s being, but failing on epic proportions. Naruto was strong, but he was also in tune with his emotions, which is why they tended to get the better of him. 

“I’m leaving for Tokyo tomorrow evening for a few days. If you could get your stuff and just move it out while I’m gone, that’d be great.” Sasuke stated.

Naruto just nodded again.

“Thanks.” 

Naruto held his hand on the door handle. And with a big heave, he turned it. As the door was pulled open, he felt the brush of fresh air hit his face and he felt a twinge of its support keeping him upright and moving forward. Fresh air, as simple as it was, helped clear his mind a bit from the darkness.

Naruto stepped outside and with one final look, his blue eye’s connected to Sasuke’s. Neither one said anything though. Even if Naruto did, Sasuke wasn’t there anymore. Not for him, any way.

Not losing momentum, Naruto let the door shut on his face. And that was it. He wasn’t looking at Sasuke now, just the plain, wooden door separating them. It still felt odd, everything that he was trying to figure out felt chaotic, but simple at the same time. He hadn’t been without Sasuke for years, and—while in the last year or so he’d felt more distant from the man—this was final. It was raw. It was over.

Naruto just stayed there, for a moment, his hand stuck on the door handle. He was unsure of where he was supposed to go. Not literally, of course, but, mentally. His mind was blank. He hadn’t thought of what to do before he’d—

“Naruto.” A deep voice echoed towards him from down the hallway. It shook Naruto straight to his core, the goosebumps on his arms and neck rising. With a quick movement, he released his hand from the handle and turned to face where the voice was coming from.

“Itachi.” Naruto mumbled, his voice cracked. 

There he was, as intimidating as ever, leaning against the same wall that Sasuke’s door was placed. He was dressed in his business casual wear, minus the blazer, carrying a briefcase. He always looked so put together, and Naruto knew how hard Sasuke strived to be more prominent in all aspects of his life when it came to Itachi. However, there was something about Itachi that was effortless. His overall control in all situations was… Scary good.

Naruto didn’t want to speak too loud because he was afraid that Sasuke would hear that he was still lingering outside. So, Naruto just nodded to Itachi and walked past the man. He didn’t get far though, because Itachi spun around, his eyes glued to Naruto.

“You’re leaving your own apartment? This late?” Itachi asked.

“I am.” Naruto confirmed, not turning around to look at Itachi, but pausing his step, so as not to be rude.

“Where are you off to, if you don’t mind me asking?” Itachi’s voice was chilling.

“Just…” Naruto blanked. “Out, I guess.” 

Itachi’s eyes narrowed. “Hm.”

“How long have you been standing out here?” Naruto asked.

Itachi shrugged. “Are you okay?”

Naruto’s breath hitched as he tried to respond. He had an answer, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. He also didn’t want to speak for Sasuke. Since Itachi was Sasuke’s brother, he didn’t feel like he had the right to share any of the news with him… He honestly didn’t even want to think about it anymore. He felt drained.

“I’ve got to go, Itachi.” Naruto started to walk away again, but Itachi walked around to face Naruto, cutting his pathway off.

“I asked if you were okay.” Itachi said. Naruto could feel the concern. He didn’t want to worry Itachi though and so, he smiled in return.

“Of course, I am.” Naruto said. He couldn’t manage a lot, but he tried to be as convincing as possible. Not much got past Itachi though, he was aware of that. The least he could do is try, but even that was proving difficult.

“I’m sorry, I really do have to go.” Naruto said, moving around Itachi again, but Itachi grabbed his shoulder. Naruto froze under his grip. It was tight, almost desperate.

“What happened?” The older brother asked.

Naruto stayed silent, feeling Itachi’s eyes like laser beams on the back of his head. Itachi pulled Naruto around to face him, making it more difficult for Naruto to avoid the questions.

“Didn’t you hear what was going on inside?” Naruto asked.

Itachi just looked at him. 

“You never told me how long you’d been standing out here.” Naruto continued to press, but Itachi just looked at him, gathering his response. In the dim lights of the hallway, Naruto kept seeing Sasuke’s face in Itachi’s and it was throwing him off. He wanted to be done talking to him as soon as he could, without being rude.

“Sasuke’s probably waiting—“ Naruto started, but was cut off.

“I heard enough to make the assumption that something happened. And there’s only one reason why Sasuke would ask for you to pack your things while he was out of town. I don’t like to assume, but if you won’t help me out, I have no other choice but to do so.”

“Your brother is on the other side of the wall. You could ask him.”

“You know just as well as me that me prying out information doesn’t usually go over well with him.”

“I don’t want to…”

Naruto sighed. He was so tired… and it was hitting him like a brick wall.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Naruto said, looking away, the overwhelming pressure of the previous situation gripping him all over again.

Itachi let go of his shoulder, sensing his tension, taking a step back to get a better look. With Itachi’s intense gaze upon him, Naruto felt paralyzed. Not in fear, but just his emotions as a whole.

“I’m just asking for the truth. And, of course, to know that you’re okay.”

Naruto felt his eyes begin to water again, and so he lifted his hand to wipe away whatever tear was trying to force itself down his cheek. But, when he looked back over at Itachi, the man’s face changed completely, his eyes now following Naruto’s hand.

“I see.” Itachi said.

Naruto looked down at his hand, a tan line around his finger indicated the absence of an engagement ring. Quickly, Naruto shoved his hand in his pockets. He felt his heart rate pick up.

Naruto expected Itachi to look angry—to tear him apart just like Sasuke did. Oddly enough though, he seemed straight faced. Actually, the more Naruto looked at him, he seemed… Hurt? Really hurt…

“I’m… I’ve got to go, Itachi. I’m sorry.” Naruto repeated, moving around the man again to head towards the elevator.

“Naruto.” Itachi said, quietly. Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Itachi looking at him over his own. 

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me. I’m…” Itachi exhaled. “…sorry too.”

The two held eye contact for a moment and Naruto couldn’t tell what the intention behind Itachi’s words were… Itachi cared for him. They’d known each other for almost ten years now, maybe even more—Naruto wasn’t keeping count. But, then again, there was always something about Itachi that made Naruto question things… What could Naruto need that Itachi could help him with? Certainly he could name a few, but this felt… 

Naruto nodded and Itachi smiled, turning his head to Sasuke’s door.

As Naruto stepped inside the elevator, letting it take him down to the lobby, he felt his heart constrict in pain. His conversation with Sasuke was too much to handle. And that brief moment with Itachi… It all felt so _final_. 

He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. He felt so stupid that he’d tried to force Sasuke into having a conversation with him all spur of the moment like he did. It was dumb on his behalf. When would he ever learn? Maybe Sasuke was right in still calling him an idiot. He was one.And then that conversation with Itachi after it all? While his fight with Sasuke seemed so absolute and heart-wrenching, seeing Itachi and conversing with him simply made Naruto feel like it wasn’t all that bad, or it was at least fixable. Itachi was a good person, he had good intentions always, Naruto knew that. His offer was most likely out of pure love for Naruto as a person. Itachi didn’t like seeing others in pain, he was similar to Naruto in that way. While he was unsure what his relationship with Itachi would be like in the future, he didn’t mind knowing that Itachi wasn’t against cutting him out of the picture completely, even if him and Sasuke were no longer together.

Naruto’s heart rate was, while still fast, calmed a bit, which surprised him. Thinking of Itachi’s willingness to still know Naruto, gave him hope in some small way. He was unsure when the reality of him and Sasuke no longer being together would officially hit him. He was scared for the moment his body would react. He’d been prone to panic attacks every so often… And he’d always had Sasuke by his side to carry him through them, especially the bad ones. But, now, he’d be alone. He didn’t know who he’s call or run to if his fears took him over… Shikamaru? Yeah, maybe. He was a good friend and always supporting Naruto. However, the fear of becoming a burden to his friends was a terrifying thought. More so, he didn’t like people seeing him upset or out of it or down. Naruto was always bright and a joy to be around. If he wasn’t top notch, it affected everyone. He hated that…

Naruto stood outside the apartment complex and just waited. He didn’t have a thought in his mind on where he wanted to go. 

* * *

Sasuke stood in the living room, uncomfortable. Itachi hadn’t said much upon arriving at the apartment, but was tirelessly typing away on his computer. Sasuke fortunately was able to clean up the kitchen and bandage his hand a bit before Itachi had arrived. _Unfortunately_ though, his stress lines on his face were, now, almost as prominent as Itachi’s. He was sure his brother would notice and call him out on it—siting for Sasuke to stop overworking and enjoy what life has to offer more. Sasuke had a tough time hiding things from his brother, and was happy the man hadn’t asked him about Naruto or anything that involved the blonde. Except, Itachi’s silence was oddly torturous. Normally, Itachi was overly interested in Sasuke’s life and he’d have to push the man away. Right now, he seemed distracted. It didn’t matter though. Sasuke just wanted to get the materials and brief from Itachi so he could just be alone. He didn’t want to interact with people anymore. Alone seemed nice. 

“I’m just getting the document together.” Itachi said.

“Why wasn’t it ready before you got here?” Sasuke asked, the edge in his voice beyond noticeable. 

Itachi looked up, glaring. And so, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“You’re already here later than you said you would be, and you’re not even prepared at that. It’s unlike you.” Sasuke commented, starting to pace up and down the room. His restless anger mixed with his patience wearing thin was giving him unnecessary energy that he couldn’t hide.

“I got caught up with something else. I’m sorry. Are you busy this late at night?” Itachi asked, challenging Sasuke.

Sasuke took a deep breath. He’d just endured an emotional roller coaster of an evening with Naruto. He didn’t need to be beaten into the ground by Itachi as well.

“Just hurry up. I’m tired.” Sasuke mumbled. 

Itachi nodded, looking back down at his laptop. Sasuke, to calm himself, decided he should have that glass of wine he never got the chance to drink earlier. He headed into the kitchen, grabbing a new, unbroken glass and poured some wine into it. He closed his eyes and sighed, taking a long sip of his beverage and letting the burn trickle down his throat. Sasuke wished he could be alone so badly. He wanted to immerse himself in work, but without his brother in the room. He wanted to drink himself to sleep, but without his brother’s judging eyes looking at him. He wanted to soak in the bath and forget the world, but without the expectations of his brother—or himself—drowning him.

As Sasuke opened his eyes again, aware that he could have none of those things, he looked to the counter and spotted Naruto’s ring. It was still unmoved, untouched—like some museum artifact behind thick glass. It was so annoying, out in the open, taunting Sasuke and reminding him of his failures—of _Naruto’s_ failures. He needed to move it, but… 

_Shit._

Sasuke’s eyes widened as he set the glass of wine down on the counter. He headed straight forthe counter, about to walk out of the kitchen, when Itachi popped out, stopping him dead in his tracks. Itachi’s presence loomed over him like a parent about to damn their child to hell. The counter with the ring on it was beside them. Sasuke had been wondering if Itachi saw it as he’d walked in earlier… Well, if he hadn’t then—Itachi’s eyes wandered over to the idle ring—he had now.

“What’s that?” Itachi asked as if he already knew. Sasuke couldn’t fault him though. Of course he knew.

“Don’t ask stupid questions. It doesn’t look good on you.” Sasuke bit out.

“Since when?” Itachi asked.

“It doesn’t concern you.” Sasuke reminded him, stepping back to grab his glass of wine. “Have you finished—“

“Sasuke, talk to me.” Itachi was stern, but concerned nonetheless. It ticked Sasuke off. How many times did he have to tell Itachi that his relationship—his _past_ relationship, that is—didn’t have anything do with him. He didn’t need to insert himself in it. Not anymore at least, since there was nothing to be inserted into.

Sasuke’s upset must’ve been brimming on the edges of Sasuke’s features, because Itachi decided to give him the information he’d been asking for.

“I sent you an email with a breakdown of the parameters we’re looking for as a company in spreadsheet form. There’s obviously room for growth there as well, since we’re looking to be expanding for at least the next five years before becoming fully stable. I also sent some possible renovations or necessary amenities. I’m sure Sakura has her own thoughts, and there might be compromises, but I’ll let you take that on yourself. If you have any questions, you can always call me.” Itachi spoke so quick, Sasuke could hardly keep up. 

“Now, talk to me.” He finished off.

Sasuke took a big swig of his wine and sneered. Like hell he was going to let Itachi get something out of him.

“I’ll check the email out, but, like I said earlier, I’m tired. So, if you wouldn’t mind.” Sasuke gestured to the door.

“What do you have against opening up to me?” Itachi asked, ignoring the gesture completely. Sasuke felt his hand form a fist as it slammed against the side of his leg. He didn’t need this—any of it, ever!

“Can’t you take a hint?” This time, Sasuke let his eyes gesture to the door. Still, Itachi ignored it.

“Where’s Naruto?” Itachi asked, as if to force Sasuke into submission.

“Does it matter?” Sasuke breathed out, in frustration.

At that, Itachi reached his hand towards the idle engagement ring that not even Sasuke had been able to touch. And, before he knew it, Sasuke’s feet moved quickly towards Itachi. It was so fast, he almost tripped over himself He just couldn’t control his actions, especially since they were so deeply attached to his emotional turmoil at the moment.

As Itachi kept reaching for the ring—so as to pick it up—Sasuke slapped the man’s hand away. 

“Don’t touch it!” The slap was perhaps a bit too aggressive, but Sasuke couldn’t let Itachi do whatever he wanted to do. His brother most likely meant nothing by going to grab the ring, but… but… It felt so personal. It felt so… 

Sasuke bought that ring for Naruto. It was Naruto’s ring. Even Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to touch it. How could he let someone else, besides the man it was meant for, touch it so casually? As if it meant nothing… 

“Don’t touch it…” Sasuke repeated, almost out of breath from the rush to save the ring from Itachi’s touch.

Itachi’s eyes lingered on Sasuke’s heaving body. He couldn’t hide his broken body language. He wished he could scream.

“Are you okay—“

And so, he did scream.

“Do I look fucking _okay_ to you? Do I, Itachi? What do you want from me? I’m tired! I want to be alone! Why is nobody listening to me?” Sasuke’s aggressive words were meant to push Itachi back, but the man’s stance was unwavering. In any normal relationship, Itachi might’ve hugged Sasuke to comfort him. But… That wasn’t like them. Sasuke had put so much distance between him and his brother. He didn’t know why—maybe because he was jealous of him. He hadn’t hugged someone other than Naruto in years… Actually, he didn’t know the last time he’d honestly hugged Naruto. That hurt to think about.

“You shouldn’t be drinking, Sasuke.”

“I can do what I want.” Sasuke barked back, grabbing the glass of wine and finishing it off. “What do you want from me, Itachi? Seriously. Tell me.” Sasuke glared at his older brother.

“To know that you’re all right.” 

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

“If you knew the fucking answer, why’d you ask the question?” Sasuke wittily responded.

Itachi’s eyes were filled with sadness, but Sasuke could tell that it wasn’t just for him. Itachi felt sadness on multiple levels. He was probably hurting for Naruto too, which upset Sasuke. Naruto wasn’t part of the equation anymore. Itachi should be able to sever the ties as easily as Sasuke could.

“Maybe Tokyo isn’t such a good idea.”

“Huh?” Sasuke approached him.

“You’re not going to do your best if you’re like this.” 

“Like _this?”_

“Plus—I’d like the have you around longer. At least, for a bit.”

Sasuke scoffed. “I refuse. I’m going to Tokyo. It’s what I want.”

“Sasuke—“

“Shut it, Itachi!” Sasuke’s eyes were mad. “This is all I care about right now. I’m going to go to Tokyo. I’m going to make a name for myself and build that branch from the ground up. I’m…” He gulped. “I’m going to be fine. I _need_ to do this. Don’t you get that?”

Sasuke’s face turned to desperation, but he covered it up quickly. He needed Itachi to see how passionate he was though. Whatever happened between him and Naruto wasn’t meant to fuck up his work, nor his life plan. He wouldn’t be derailed like that. He had a strong head on his shoulders, Itachi knew that much at least.

“But—“

“No ’buts,’ Itachi. I can handle this.” He was determined. And, to seal the deal, he let Itachi in just a bit. He wasn’t trying to be open with his brother, but he knew that any sort of emotional allowance Sasuke gave him could help win his brother over.

“It will help me find stable footing without…” Sasuke looked up at Itachi, then away. “…him.” He muttered.

He heard Itachi sigh deeply, placing his hand on his shoulder. 

“Okay then.” Was all he said.

Sasuke expected the words to lift him up, but they didn’t. He felt lonely, empty… Abandoned. Even though he had a promising future in Tokyo, something felt so sad about it. His heart was still shattered… His mind would still drift to Naruto… He’d still long to come home to someone… Work might dilute some of those things, but could never replace them. Then again, did he want to replace the blonde? Perhaps it was the easiest option. Coming to terms with his loss seemed too terrifying.

With Itachi’s agreement, he had no excuse anymore. He was leaving Konoha. 

* * *

Naruto had found himself behind the computer at the front desk of his bookstore. It was late. Later than he’d cared to be awake. His eyes were wide open, yet bloodshot from the dried up tears he’d shed as he walked to the store. 

He told himself that he needed a distraction, but any location other than the bookstore just seemed pointless. He didn’t care to do anything other than sit in silence, in a place he felt at home. 

Home…

He’d have to build one all over again. He didn’t even know if he had an identity anymore. For the past few years, his being blended with Sasuke’s. What did he even like? Did he have a favorite type of interior design? Did he know how to match a rug and a curtain? Who was he?

He sighed and looked at the blank document on the screen. 

Naruto delicately lifted his fingers to the keyboard. He had no one who would listen to his thoughts—no one, except a digital sheet of paper. 

Maybe it would help though. He used to write to help him understand his conflicting emotions or his fears and desires. Even though it’d been years since he’d written something he was proud of, he couldn’t help but feel like writing was the only comforting option he had at the moment.

So, he did that. Maybe Hinata would like it…


	10. Month One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years together, Naruto and Sasuke don't know how to make it work anymore, but with time apart they might be able to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time, no see. Sorry it's been awhile. I've been so busy this month and the next month or two will be plain hectic for me. I am trying to get you guys good content! I don't wanna rush, so it's taking me on the longer side. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I like it. It's sad, but I really had fun writing it. It's their first month without the other. 
> 
> ENJOY!

Sasuke woke up in his Tokyo hotel room. He felt the lingering sleep coat his mind in a blur. Gently, he let his head fall to the side of his pillow, where his eyes were greeted with a small, digital clock. It was earlier than he’d expected—almost 6 AM. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately, which was odd for him, since he usually was able to tune out the noise of his mind. However, he’d been waking up randomly, unable to get a strong nights rest. And the reason for his whack sleeping schedule was pretty clear to him. Although he didn’t like to admit it to himself.

As he continued to stare at the clock, he couldn’t help but wonder why his subconscious was affecting him this way still.

He’d left for Tokyo the evening after his unexpected confrontation with both Naruto and his brother. It was chaotic, to say the least. And, on top of that, it drained Sasuke so much that he was unsure when he’d feel stable again. He tried to always be the one with his feet firmly planted on the ground, but for the first time in years, he’d felt as if he’d been struck with vertigo. He’d get tired quicker, he’d zone out during conferences, he’d forget his wallet or keys… The list went on and on. To anyone he was close with, he’d look unhinged. Fortunately, no one like that was near him, so they couldn’t call him out on it. The only person he ever really saw was Sakura and her employees.

Sasuke sat up in bed and wiped his eyes, moving his hair from his face to behind his ears. He made his way into the kitchen. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get that last hour of sleep he’d so desire anyway. And so, coffee it was. He ground up some beans, put them in the hotel’sfrench press, and waited for the water in the kettle to boil. Once it did, he poured it over the grounds, allowing it to sit as the aroma filled the luxurious room. 

With his fresh brewed coffee now in hand, he sat at the desk and opened his laptop to browse through his email. At the top of the list was one from Itachi, his older brother, with the subject line: Please respond. 

Sasuke grunted as he burned his tongue. He clicked it open and it only had two sentences, but it was enough to get Itachi’s point across. 

_Sasuke, I know your mind is solely focused on business right now, but please understand that you personal well being is more important to me than any business dealings. If you’re not going to respond to my texts, calls, or emails, you’ll leave me no choice._

It wasn’t a threat, but, at the same time, it was. Sasuke placed his cup of coffee down and for the first time in two weeks, he responded to his brother.

_Itachi, here is me responding._

He clicked send and shut his laptop just as quickly as he had opened it—forgetting about the other mass of emails he’d received. 

Yes, he’d been in Tokyo for longer than he had expected. He was only meant to stay for a maximum of four days, in an effort to secure the building for the Uchiha and Haruno joint business merger. However, he’d missed his return flight—on purpose. Something was keeping him in Tokyo… Or something was just _pushing him out_ of Konoha. It felt like both, honestly. While he was in Tokyo, he felt as though he had a purpose. There was no one there that he knew, besides Sakura. He was slowly getting to know the team she’d selected to bring into their contract, but Sakura was the only one he actually cared to have chats with. In his down time, he was exploring Tokyo, which felt nice. He was enjoying the freedom of being in Tokyo alone. He was also enjoying the bland luxury the hotel suite provided. Mainly because it didn’t have anything that would remind him of the home he once shared.

Yet, while the days were easier for him to deal with his issues, the nights made it extremely hard. He’d find himself downing an entire bottle of wine and just staring at his phone… He couldn’t help but wish Naruto would text him. He knew it wouldn’t happen. He knew he shouldn’t wish painful things like that too. The man wasn’t even _in love_ with Sasuke anymore. Sasuke should feel the same. Bu he still felt something towards Naruto and that’s what made it so painful. He had hoped that Tokyo would bring about a path for him to forget the blonde, but it still hurt. He knew these types of things took time, but Sasuke didn’t want to wait. He was impatient, constantly trying to find the quickest way to move on.

It was harder than he’d ever imagined though. He was constantly reminded about Naruto even though he was miles away from the man. Sasuke would on occasion see a blonde man walk down the sidewalk and his heart would skip a beat. He’d think… _Naruto came to apologize and beg to get back together._ One of Sakura’s colleagues even had a sideways smile, like Naruto. Sasuke found himself staring at the man more than twice. It was as if he couldn’t escape the pain, no matter how far away he rooted himself.

That realization wasn’t enough incentive to go back to Konoha though. While the blonde’s he’d pass by in Tokyo might _look_ like Naruto, they never actually _were_. It was something he could get used to. In Konoha, seeing Naruto at random was more of a possibility. He couldn’t handle that. And so, he was going to stay in Tokyo until he absolutely needed to be elsewhere. Even then, he wouldn’t be staying in Konoha for long. He had plans for his life—plans that could now be uninterrupted. He could go wherever, be whatever, fuck whomever. He was independent. It was supposed to feel refreshing—key phrase being _supposed to be._

Sasuke spent the rest of the morning getting ready. He was meeting Sakura at her current offices to sign the lease for the new space and double check the conditions for the location before the construction company started their work. 

He hopped in his car—one thing he did miss was his own BMW, which was probably collecting dust in the garage of his apartment complex in Konoha—turned on the bluetooth, connected his phone, and listened to some slowed-down alternative hits. The hotel he had chosen was only a short distance away from Sakura’s offices, which didn’t give him much time in the car.

Once he arrived, he parked, took the elevator to the lobby, signed in, and then took another elevator up to the 18th floor of the high rise. As the doors opened, he was greeted by Akari, the receptionist. She always looked flustered, as if she had been hired right out of college. She had light brown hair—obviously dyed—with glasses and a cute smile. She was nice, of course, but probably not someone Sasuke would put front and center.

She glanced over at Sasuke as he exited the elevator and her face flushed a warm shade of pink and then fumbled with a paper, handing it to him.

“Welcome back, Mr. Uchiha!” She stated, nervously. She had insisted on calling him _Mr. Uchiha_ , even though he practically begged her not to. He didn’t need to sound older than he already was. He wasn’t even that old. It made it sound like life was passing him by.

“Hello, Akira, what’s this?” Sasuke looked down at the paper in front of him. 

“Oh, Ms. Haruno informed me that you wanted a copy of the contact list for the employee’s that will work on her side of the merger. She listed names, addresses, phone numbers, and their position. Have you decided on who you will be bringing? I can type up a list, if—”

“I’ve got an idea, but it still needs to be officially finalized. I’l forward all this information once I have it.”

“Great. I’ll let her know you’re here then.” Akira gestured to the lounge seating in the lobby area and dialed to Sakura, mumbling behind the desk through the phone.

Not even a second later, the pink-haired woman bounced through the door. No matter how many times they met, she still looked overly excited to just be in his presence. It was nice that someone was happy to see him. He didn’t get that view often.

Sasuke walked beside Sakura as she started talking to him. They headed to her office.

“I’m happy you could come in today. I ordered some eats from this sushi place on the corner. Hope you don’t mind.” She smiled, opening the door to her office and welcoming him inside.

“Sounds amazing.” Sasuke said. He placed his briefcase to the side of his chair, as the two sat across from each other at her desk. She pulled out a manila folder with the stapled documents of the lease. She’d made a copy for both of them to look over and then the original to sign off on and return to the management company.

“I’m honestly surprised at the deal they’re offering us. Who knew that having a female realtor and female business owner would score us some points with the management?” Sakura smirked. They hired a broker outside of their company to also assist in getting them a nice location. Both Sasuke and Sakura were able to talk up the management company though. He deserved some credit too.

“I’m worried about only using one floor. If we end up expanding, wouldn’t having that extra space on the floor below be of use? I’m also thinking for storage and conference spaces.” Sasuke commented.

“I think we’ve got a neat 20,000 square feet of room that we can renovate however we please. Since it’s basically untouched and a warehouse type of look—expanding and creating space should be no problem. Besides, right now, since we’re just starting out, we’ll be fine.” Sakura flipped a page.

“The $16,000 a month tag is pricier than I’d hoped, but doable.” Sasuke sighed.

“Agreed.” 

“Honestly, Sasuke, I’m happy with it. We’ve got a prime location in the heart of the financial district. We’ve got views and _literally_ prime real estate. I think I might even move out of my rent-controlled building just to be walking distance from the place.” Sakura pulled out the official lease. “It’s beautiful. Let’s sign it together.” She smiled at him.

Sasuke looked at her for a second. One of the reasons he had also justified his stay in Tokyo for the time being was the official securing of their location. Sakura and Sasuke had bargained and hassled with the management company of their new location on day three of his time in Tokyo. They’d agreed to all terms and conditions and Sasuke was free to report back to Konoha. However, Sasuke had dragged everything out, stating he wanted to wait until everything was final before leaving and that he wanted to monitor the checklists for renovations. Sakura didn’t find it weird, in fact, she loved the idea and encouraged his involvement.

But signing this meant that it was a job well done. All complete. Until the renovations of the location were finished, they were unable to move into the office and would be working remotely from Konoha. He had a lot to do back in Konoha and he was debating whether or not he wanted to keep his apartment or sell it. He needed time to think it over.

“How long will those renovations take, you think?” Sasuke asked, innocently.

Sakura shrugged, pulling out a pen and handing it and the lease to Sasuke. “Good question. I think if we pay for it all up front and have a blueprint agreed upon, we could get it done quickly. I’m feeling the warehouse look though—something very open spaced.” She thought to herself.

“I’d like private offices.”

“Well, that’s a given, Sasuke.”

“I don’t mind an open layout. It will take less time to renovate.”

“That is true…” She sighed. “Sign that thing.”

Sasuke looked down at the dotted line and put the pen to paper. He signed his name and dated it. As he handed it back to Sakura, he felt a power surge through him. His biggest deal to date—this merger—it was really happening. And it was all under him.

Once Sakura signed it, Akira showed up with a take out box of sushi for the two other. Sakura handed off the lease to Akira to send to the management company. 

They started to eat. “You know, you shouldn’t worry about the renovations. Just give me your ideas and we’ll include them. I’m gonna work with you all the way through it. Trust me.”

“That works.”

The took a moment, before Sakura pushed the conversation to continue. 

“How’re you liking Tokyo then?” Sakura and him had been getting closer. Sakura wasn’t an open book, but she was overly friendly with him. Sasuke couldn’t tell if she had a thing for him or if she was just like this with any man she thought was attractive. He didn’t mind spending time with her though. He tended to be quieter, so it was nice being around someone who did a majority of the talking. He could pick and choose when he’d want to respond. He’d always thought talkative people annoyed him, but… maybe that had changed with Naruto. He felt he had actually become talkative with Naruto.

“It’s busier.” Sasuke said.

“You’re a man of few words, Sasuke. I’ve noticed that about you.” Sakura responded. “I can’t deny it though. Tokyo _is_ a busy city. And I’ve never been to Konoha, so I can only imagine the difference. Must be a like a culture shock. Konoha isn’t rural though, right?”

“No, it’s just a tightly contained city. Tokyo is more expansive.”

“Expansive and busy. That’s Tokyo for sure.”

“It’s busy in a way that makes me want to work harder.” 

Sakura nodded. “Yeah… But the place is a double-edged sword sometimes. You get here and you feel the immense power to succeed and work until you burn out. It happened to me when I first got into this industry. I barely ate. I rarely slept. I had never worked as much as I had then. Finally, I got to a point where I didn’t even know where I was going anymore. I had to sit and just understand what path I was trying to take and plan my life a little more.” Sakura looked away. “Sorry, if that’s too much information, but just know that overworking yourself doesn’t get you to the end goal any faster.”

Sasuke put down his unfinished meal. “I’m going to disagree with you, Sakura. I watched my older brother, Itachi, work overtime to care for me and build his business. In record time, he became one of the most reputable reality companies in all of Japan. I saw the stress take over him, but he never once let it tear him down. He got to where he was today through his hard work. And I plan to work even harder.”

This was the first time he’d ever seen Sakura not smiling… She looked fearful in some way. 

“If that’s how you work, then I hope you persevere. However,” She gulped. “Don’t go off the deep end. We’re both leaders in this new company. I’d like for us to be on the same page in terms of work ethic for our employees sake and our reputation.”

Sasuke nodded. “I’d like that as well. But, know this, how I push myself and how much I work will not change. No matter what, I’ll always be a strong leader and face for this company. It’s everything to me.”

Sakura’s small smiled returned to her face as she finished off her sushi. “Glad to hear it. I hope to prove to you how strong of a leader I will be as well.”

“I’ve already seen that in you.”

Sakura looked up at him, doe-eyed. “You have?”

“You’ve got a strong point of view. And people seem to respect you here. I have no doubt that it will be the same when we expand.”

Sakura chuckled a bit.

“What?” Sasuke asked.

“If I was a teenager, I’d probably be in love with you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s face dropped slightly. Not in disgust, but in slight shock. He tried to knock it off. “Hilarious.”

“What? Come on, it’s not many times that a man will compliment a woman’s strength in her career. It… It means a lot. You’re _different._ ”

She genuinely meant it. Sasuke wasn’t trying to talk her up, just be honest in what he saw. He knew that going into business with her would bring them a lot of recognition and press, which would help grow their company’s popularity. He was happy it was Sakura who was standing beside him.

However, he also noticed how easy it was to compliment her career endeavors and work ethics. Was he selfish in doing that? He wanted success in a company he co-owned—a merger that would help him make a name for himself. He needed to tell Sakura these things so they’d be strong together. 

He’d never been able to talk up Naruto like he’d just done with Sakura. He didn’t understand why…

After a moment, Sakura changed the subject.

“So, how much longer will you be staying?”

Sasuke snapped out it. He had momentarily lost himself in a spiral of negativity. Why was it so easy for him to speak highly and encourage Sakura? It’s not like he loved her, like he’d loved Naruto. 

His mind was racing. He didn’t want to show his emotional side in the middle of the day. These types of thoughts weren’t supposed to plague him until the night time, when he could be alone. 

He took a deep, shaky breath, which Sakura took note of.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“I’m fine. Just thought about something. Don’t worry about it.”

Sakura looked at him for a second, but Sasuke continued on.

“What did you ask?” He said.

“Oh, just how much longer you’ll be in the city.”

“Right…” Sasuke didn’t know the answer. “I’ll probably book a flight for the end of the week.”

Sakura nodded. “You do know it’s Thursday, right?”

Sasuke’s eyes widened slightly. Had he really lost track of time that much?

“Right—then I’ll be out of here tomorrow. Better look at flights.” He nervously chuckled.

“How about we grab one celebratory drink before you head out of here and we’re forced to communicate virtually.”

Sasuke smiled. “You know, it’s not difficult to fly back out, if necessary.”

“No, I know, but… That’s a hassle. One drink and then you won’t have to deal with me for…”

“A few months?”

“Give or take.”

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura found a bar down the street from their new office location. It was a nice bar, made for men and women with wealth. People were drinking martini’s and whiskey. He loved it.

They sat down at the corner edge of the bar on two nice stools. The bartender immediately came over to them and, since Sasuke was feeling like he needed to take the edge off, he ordered a whiskey _neat_. Sakura, not letting him one up her, ordered the same. 

As they were brought their beverages, they cheers’ed to the success of their new business venture in the world of luxury real estate. 

“And you actually like this? You’re not even making a face!” Sakura exclaimed.

Sasuke smiled. “It’s acquired.”

“That’s what they all say.” She teased, taking another terrible sip from her glass. “I’m unsure I’ll be able to finish it.”

“Order something else. I’ll cover the tab.” Sasuke said.

“Oh, the Mr. Uchiha is taking someone out.” Sakura spun on her stool, looking out at the elite’s enjoying their evening. “Watch out ladies, looks like Mr. Uchiha’s taken tonight!”

Sasuke glared, playfully. “Not cute.”

“Wasn’t trying to be cute. I was just letting all of those cougars in that booth near the window know you’re not interested.”

Sasuke looked over Sakura’s shoulder and noticed that, indeed, there was a small group of five women crowded in a booth all making eyes at him. They were definitely double his age, easily. Sasuke returned his attention to Sakura.

“So, I should thank you then?”

“That’d be nice.”

Sasuke smirked. “Thank you, Ms. Haruno.”

Sakura quietly squirmed in her triumph as she forced herself to take another sip. “You know, it really isn’t that bad. I was just being overdramatic.”

“You think?” Sasuke commented.

“What? You said the taste was acquired. So, I’m trying to acquire it currently.”

Sasuke took a sip of his own, grateful that his tolerance was higher as of late. He finished off his beverage, signaling the bartender to bring another one.

“Another? So, it’s that kind of night then.” Sakura commented.

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked.

“Three of those and you’ll be feeling a litte… You know…” Sakura said, suggestively.

“Don’t get any ideas.” Sasuke said, taking a sip.

“ _I’m_ not. Can’t speak for cougar town though.”

“Enough with the cougars.”

“What? You’re not a fan of older women?” Sakura raised her eyebrows.

Sasuke looked at her. He’d never really thought about whether or not he was into women at all. He’d only ever felt a solid connection with Naruto. Sure, women were pretty and he understood the appeal, but he never found one that struck him like Naruto had when they were in college. 

“I…” Sasuke trailed off and Sakura rolled her eyes.

“Don’t think about it too hard. I’m just messing with you.”

Sasuke nodded, taking another sip of his whiskey. His mind was lost in thought again. He felt like he was having a sexual identity crisis. He tried to think of any woman he was attracted to… He’d never much put a label on his love with Naruto. He just knew that Naruto was… _was…_ his person. He was gay.

But he looked at Sakura and saw how strong she was. Not only in personality, but in point of view, work ethic, leadership. She owned a job that was made for a man. Or at least, it used to be. She held the title well though and was level headed. She even could tease Sasuke without coming off overly flirtatious. Naruto could do the same thing. It was about confidence. Naruto had that confidence that drew Sasuke in, and… As he looked at Sakura, he realized she emanated the same thing.

But did that mean that he liked her? No. He barely knew her. Is the potential there? That he didn’t know. He didn’t understand what his mind was trying to sort through in that moment… It was uncomfortable, but it also helped him a bit. Maybe Naruto wasn’t the only person he could build a connection with… Maybe there were others that could be just like him… Like Sakura…

He snapped out of his thoughts.

“I’ve never dated an older woman.” Sasuke confided, realizing that his tolerance was maybe built towards red wine and not hard liquor. 

“Neither have I.” Sakura teased. However, Sasuke’s face remained neutral.

“I haven’t dated women at all.” He blurted out. He was unsure where this conversation was going to go, now that he’d just revealed a huge part about himself to his business partner.

“Oh—wow—Sasuke. Are you…”

“No.”

“So then?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

At that moment, Sakura slouched a bit over the counter of the bar. She rested her head on the palm of her hand and just looked at Sasuke. Was she disappointed? If she did have a thing for him, she probably was. He’d only dated men. He was now in his late twenties. His experimental phase ended years ago.

“Is that weird to you?” Sasuke asked, looking over at her, their eyes connecting. It was so weird to stare at someone in the eyes under the dim lighting of the bar. Sasuke felt like he wanted to move closer just to get a better look, but he knew he should refrain.

Sakura shook her head. “No. Why would it be?”

Sasuke shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I’m not gonna lie. I had a feeling.” Sakura stated, her voice a little sad. “So…” She tried to cover it up. “Who’s the lucky man?”

Sasuke felt his blood run cold. 

“Lucky man?” He asked, softly.

Sakura stirred her drink around and took a leisurely sip. “Yeah. You said you’ve never dated any women before… I’m assuming you’ve been with someone for a while then. You look like the type who doesn’t like to change things up too often.”

Sasuke felt his mouth run dry. Sakura could read him so well. He never had slept around. One night stands didn’t exist for him. The first and only time he’d felt romantic feelings or sexual desire for another person was with Naruto. He hated that… He’d missed out on exploring himself because he was so fixated on the blonde. His identity was muddled…

“I am… I’m actually not with anyone right now.”

Sakura perked up a bit. “I was wrong?”

Sasuke shrugged, unwilling to answer. He quickly downed the rest of his drink.

“Interesting…” Sakura leaned in a bit. “Are you looking for someone?”

Sasuke made a face, shrugging her off. “I’m perfectly content with being alone right now, actually. In fact, I want to solely focus on being the best in our company and expanding it across all of Japan’s luxury markets.”

Sakura nodded. “So, you’re married to work then?”

“I’m not married to anything.”

“Well…” She held up her almost empty glass to Sasuke’s now full one. “Cheers to that. We can be unmarried together.”

“Sure.” Sasuke remarked.

They clinked and took a sip.

“And if you’re ever thinking about commitment or… you know…” She winked, playfully. “Our offices will only be a few feet apart.”

“Knock it off.” He glared.

“What? I’m just trying to see into that dark persona of yours. Open you up a little.”

“I think I opened up enough to you tonight.”

“You’re still a mystery to me, Sasuke.” She said, looking down into her empty glass she was holding. “I don’t know how often you go out for casual drinks with friends or coworkers, but I’m happy you came out tonight. To indulge me.”

Sasuke also looked away, down at his glass.

“I’m happy that you saw my company and me, myself, as people worthy of your time. I’d been trying to expand into new territory for a while now and this… You and me, I think we click. We have the same goals and mind set. It’s perfect.”

Sasuke nodded and couldn’t help his heart from picking up its pace.

“So, I hope this relationship, be it only working, is more than you expected. I’m honestly excited to get to know you more and just… See where we can go.”

“Hopefully to the top.” Sasuke added.

“I don’t think that’s unrealistic with us working together.”

“Agreed.”

They both finally looked at each other and Sasuke could swear he felt a surge of power rush through him. He couldn’t understand the emotional draw he felt towards Sakura and her strength and honestly. It was alluring. And while he was gay—at least, that’s all he knew of himself—he started to see how attractive she was all around. 

For some reason, he hoped she thought the same way of him.

* * *

Naruto sat behind the front desk of Talk Wordy To Me. It was past business hours, and he was only illuminated by a warm desk lamp and his computer screen. He was typing away, reading his work over, and then fixing it up as if it was his religion. He had bags under his eyes, and his hair looked as though he hadn’t washed it in about two weeks—which was honestly how long it had been. 

He was making a home for himself inside of his book store. After he gathered up all of his belongings—sans the ring—from his shared apartment with Sasuke, he’d had Shikamaru help him load it into a small storage space. He’d only owned a few furniture pieces in their apartment, like a chair, some art work, a book case (luckily, a majority of the books on it were his as well), a rug, and two side tables. He was able to fit all of that and then his boxes of clothing and other items into the unit. It was a game of tetris, but it finally ended up working after hours of trying. 

He didn’t want to burden his bookstore with his belongings, so he only took the bare minimum. He had around seven pairs of underwear, five of his favorite t-shirts, two sweatshirts, five jeans, and three sweats. All of it was located in the employee back area, where there was a futon that he barely fit on. Sometimes he’d pass out on the lounge chairs to give himself a break from the firm pull-out. It was his store. He could do as he pleased. He’d find another place soon enough, but he wanted to have some groundwork laid before that…

After he’d left his shared apartment, he had burst into tears. Seeing the space empty of his belongings didn’t feel right. He was half hoping that Sasuke would have caught him in the transition and have pleaded with him not to leave. Granted, if that happened, Naruto would have easily given in. He thought about the man constantly: In the shower, during breakfast, while he was writing, restocking the shelves, eating instant ramen. The list went on and on. It seemed Sasuke’s face would just pop into his head whenever it felt like it. Naruto couldn’t control it. 

He’d tried to distract himself by working out, writing profusely, and reading, but it never seemed to happen. He looked like shit. He couldn’t help it. He felt like shit. There was only one positive to come out of his emotional turmoil… His writing.

Naruto scrolled through the five pages of essay that he’d written over the last two weeks. It was extensive and filled with metaphors, imagery… His entire heart was poured out onto the page. The writing, as he read it over, was chaotic; bouncing from one theme to another and then back again. But he felt it was true to the heartbreak he was feeling. If it all read poetically, then he’d be romanticizing his broken heart, which wasn’t how he felt. He felt cruel, desperate, anxious, tragic, undesirable, forgotten, childish… Every demeaning trait he’d ever noticed bubbling within him, was pouring out like hot lava. He was getting burned alive. The only promise of relief would be finishing the piece and sending it to Hinata.

He felt his phone buzz next to him and looked down. Speaking of the woman, she’d messaged him. They hadn’t seen each other for a while. He’d not even sent her any of his work. He was half expecting her to have given up on him.

_(Hinata) Let me in._

Shocked, Naruto spun around in his chair and eyed the front door. There she was, her pale face reflecting the lights outside. Naruto smiled at her, then glanced back at his messy work. As he was about to close out of the application, he heard Hinata banging on the window.

“Don’t you dare!” Her muffled voice made its way clearly into Naruto’s ear. And so, he didn’t close the application, instead he walked over to the door to unlock it and let her inside.

“Where have you been, Naruto?” She asked, taking off her coat.

Naruto shut the door behind her. “Working? I guess.”

“On?” She made her way directly to the computer. Quickly, Naruto maneuvered around her to stand in front of it.

“I’m not finished yet.”

“So?”

“So… I wanted to send you a finished piece.”

“You haven’t sent me anything yet, Naruto. Don’t you have more works than this one?” She asked. She wasn’t rude about it, but her voice was firm. Naruto had basically blown her off for fourteen days.

“You haven’t been answering my calls or texts either. Are you just second guessing this whole thing?” Now, she sounded hurt. Being ignored can make a person feel that way. Naruto understood.

“I’m sorry…” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous tick of his. “A lot has been going on and… I started writing this…” He stepped out of her way a bit, so she could get a quick glance at the computer screen. “But I haven’t been happy with it, and I’ve been messing around, trying to… You know, make it something you’d want to… I don’t know.”

Whenever Naruto got nervous or was just tired, his thoughts all came through in unison. He was unable to pick and choose what he wanted to say cohesively. He came off disheveled. 

“I get that.” Hinata said, softly. “But don’t you think working this through with someone to help you is better than hammering at it alone?”

Naruto looked at her. She was sincere. He felt so out of place, knowing that someone he barely knew truly believed in him this much. He nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. Let me be that second pair of eyes for you.” She said. Her eyes were begging him to step aside so she could read his work.

He felt his hands start trembling. He had exposed so much of himself on these digital pages. The thought of someone seeing so clearly into his soul was nerve-wrecking.

“There’s no judgement here, trust me. Whatever I read—it’s between the two of us.” She confirmed to him.

Slowly, Naruto nodded, stepping to the wayside, while Hinata hopped into the chair. He couldn’t help but pace around the back as she browsed through it. She highlighted certain pieces, read over things multiple times, she sighed once, coughed once, and leaned back in the chair twice. He couldn’t get a read on what any of those things meant, but he was afraid nonetheless.

His pacing continued until she turned back around to him.

“Naruto…” She practically whispered. 

As Naruto looked up at her, he could see tears swelling in her eyes. Had his work affected her this much? Or was she upset that she invested so much time in a lost cause? He froze in his tracks.

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Hinata said.

Naruto’s jaw dropped. He could feel the ground beneath his feet start pulling him deeper and deeper into the center of the Earth. His hearing and sight had left him, all he could sense were his thoughts, but he had none. He was a shell of a human being. And an idiot, supposedly.

He fell to his knees. “Fuck… I should’ve know…”

He could hear Hinata get off of the chair and make her way towards him. She knelt down beside him and grabbed his hand, so as to draw his attention to her.

He looked and she was closer than he’d expected. It didn’t feel as thought she was invading his space. If anything, he felt comfort by it. He hadn’t been this close to someone since Sasuke. If he leaned in any more, their noses would touch. 

She had a maternal touch. Something he’d never felt, but if he were assume, it would feel like this. Soft, secure, welcoming, free of hatred or judgement or bias. It was pure. Angelic even. His heart beat steadied as he looked at her tear soaked eyes.

“Why are you crying?” Naruto asked, breaking the silence.

“Because…” She took a deep breath in. “It needs some fine tuning, but… I could feel everything you were going through. Every single emotion… It was the most painful things I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

Naruto was at a loss for words. Did this mean… She liked it?

Hinata smiled through a tear that trickled down her cheek. She then pulled Naruto up on his unstable legs and lead him to the computer screen. She scrolled and then pointed at a line she had highlighted.

“I questioned my reality. Studying the dualities of being awake and being asleep. Under my harsh realizations, my subconscious started to feel more like the dream, while the nightmare was our coexistence. So, it seems my being was seething from internal injuries, while feigning love I’d lost somewhere back in those later years.”

Hearing it read aloud, made Naruto’s entire body shake in nervousness. He felt defeated. Not because of his work, but because of the truth behind it. The words he’d written were honest to his mentality. And while he wished it to be untrue, it all felt too real. And it was too much.

“And this…” Hinata spoke again, pointing at another highlighted phrase, but Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled it down.

“Please, don’t.” It was begging. “You can email it to yourself and… do whatever it is you want to do with it. I can’t hear it right now though. I’m sorry.”

Hinata watched as Naruto lowered his head. “I understand. But Naruto…” She lifted his chin up so that their eyes met.

“This is good. I feel you here. And I want other’s to experience the same thing I just did.”

Naruto nodded. “I do too…”

“Good, then we’re on the same page. I know it seems overwhelming right now and I never want to push more out of you than you can give, but this is an amazing start. This is enough to start shopping around.” She smiled at him, reassuringly.

“Shopping around?” Naruto asked.

She nodded. “With a piece like this teased to the public… Publishing companies will be all over you. And when that word is dropped, it’s revealed that _our_ new company will have its debut with your book. It might hit a Best Sellers list even.”

Her voice started bubbling with excitement. Naruto wished he could share in it with her, but he felt heavy. 

“Trust me, Naruto. Your potential is endless.” She squeezed his hand. Naruto couldn’t deny that he liked hearing those words from her. He did trust her. They barely knew each other, but her ability to see him at his worst and pull him out slightly… Sasuke used to be the one that could put a smile on his face… But now…

Naruto smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“You deserve it.” She responded. “Now, you look like you haven’t slept in weeks.”

Naruto didn’t reply, which basically confirmed her suspicion.

“Go home, and get some sleep. I’ll call you soon enough with details on how we move forward with this. You might get some notes—but only small ones. Keep writing, keep working. This is a prime time for you to indulge your emotions.”

She headed over to her coat and threw it on.

“Please sleep though. And maybe shower. Seeing you all strung out like this is worrisome.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will. You’re a prodigy.”

“A prodigy?”

“Come on, don’t tell me you don’t think Jiraiya is a genius writer now…” She chuckled as she opened the door and waved him goodbye. She let it shut behind her.

Naruto fell back in the chair and glanced over at his work. She’d highlighted so many things. He didn’t know if those were good or bad things… It didn’t matter though. She saw his potential. She read his work. She _felt_ his words. In a small way, he felt validation. He felt supported. He felt connected to someone in a way he didn’t know he could have felt. Hinata was someone he knew he could trust and confide in and she seemed to take him just how he was—lonely, desperate, and a mess. A beautiful, tragic mess.

Naruto scrolled all the way to the end of the fifth page. The last thing he wrote:

_I was the sun and you, the moon. I was the fox and you, the hawk. And the fox thrived by your moon, while the hawk, by my sun. Yet, it was just like that. With our shallow perspective of fate, we were shielded from the honest truth: The fox and the hawk, the sun and the moon, still do not exist together._

He saved the page and emailed it to Hinata, before shutting off the computer. Even if she gave him notes, he was afraid to change it. He was afraid to taint his emotions with perfect thought. It went against the purpose of it all, to him. He hoped she’d understand.

Naruto crashed down on the futon, curling himself into his throw pillow and blanket. He pulled out his phone and started at the time, watching the minutes tick by.

He wondered what Sasuke was doing… He wondered if he felt the same pain… If he even cared?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...


End file.
